Dhaka, Feb 20 (UNB)-Bangladesh government’s Power Development Board (PDB) and India’s state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Saturday signed a deal for jointly building a coal-fired power plant in Khulna at the first go, as implementing the Dhaka-Delhi joint communiqué on a broader agenda of cooperation is underway.

According to official sources, PDB Chief Engineer (generation) Abul Quasem and NTPC General Manager MS Chawla signed the memorandum of understating (MOU) on behalf of respective side at a simple function at the National Scout Bhaban in the city.

Bangladesh’s Power Secretary, Abul Kalam Azad, and other top officials of the two countries' power ministries were present at the deal-signing function at the end of two days of talks.

As per terms of the MOU, the NTPC and PDB will jointly set up power plants in Bangladesh and also conduct feasibility study on setting up coal-based power plants at different places across Bangladesh.

The memo also laid out scope for the Indian NTPC to provide training to PDB staff members for enhancing their efficiency and carry out rehabilitation works in different power stations of Bangladesh-some of those outworn and fail to help meet an ever-growing demand for electricity.

Earlier on Friday, another two MOUs were signed between the two neighboring countries, now apparently going great guns in bolstering interaction in the areas agreed upon in the joint communiqué issued capping the Hasina-Manmohan talks during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’
s recent tour of India.

One MOU was signed between the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) while another signed between the PDB and the PGCIL for setting up high-voltage transmission lines from India to Bangladesh to pump electricity from the Indian national grid into the power-hungry Bangladesh grid.

On Friday, India and Bangladesh agreed in principal to set up a 1320-MW coal-fired power plant in Khulna and also for Bangladesh's import of 250-MW electricity from India.

“All the MOUs were signed in order to materialize the agreements between the two neighboring countries,” said one of the official sources.

The agreements stemmed from the Bangladesh-India Steering Committee’s 2-day meeting that concluded here today.

The Power Secretary of Bangladesh, Abul Kalam Azad, and the Power Secretary of India, H.S. Brahma, led their respective side at the meeting.

According to the meeting decision, Bangladesh will buy 250-megawatt electricity from India at a rate of around 2 Indian rupees per-kilowatt hour (per unit) for next 35 years. However, after
wheeling charge, the tariffs will come to around Rs 2.50 per-kilowatt hour. The price will be finalized by the Indian regulatory authority.

Officials indicated if the tariff rate is fixed at Rs 2.50 per unit, it will be between Tk 3.50 and Tk 4.50 a unit-more than double BPDB's bulk tariff rate at about Tk 2 per unit.