Bangladesh wants to buy at least 2,000MW of solar power from India to meet the growing demand of electricity in the country.
The power will be bought from large solar power projects coming up in Gujarat and Rajasthan states, reports the Livemint quoting Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi.
According to the report, India is also pursuing long-term deals with Bangladeshi companies for supplying domestic cooking gas and other petroleum products.
In an interview on the sidelines of the 16th International Energy Forum Ministerial held in New Delhi last week, Tawfiq-e-Elahi said Bangladesh will take up to 2,000MW of solar power.
He there will be technical challenge in transmitting the solar power over great distance but the engineers should be able to solve it.
Wishing anonymity, a senior Indian government said discussions were held regarding the matter.
This comes against the backdrop of India’s record low solar power tariff of Rs2.44 per unit registered in May 2017, reports the Livemint.
India, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, plans to achieve 175GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022. Of which, 100GW will come from solar.
The report said currently India is supplying 660MW to Bangladesh.
In 2017, India and Bangladesh signed two lines of credit worth $5 billion during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India.
During the visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized on the energy security and promised to add another 500MW under an existing transmission link.
Tawfiq-e-Elahi said a model on the lines of Adani Group’s Jharkhand thermal power project can be explored in solar energy, where the entire power generated from a power plant is meant for India’s neighbour.
Debasish Mishra, partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP said the move will deepen energy sector cooperation between the countries in South Asia to create an integrated power and gas market that will help in sustainable development of the region.
Sunday, March 16, 2025
