BSS-43 Sheikh Hasina-Modi to open 500 MW power supply to Bangladesh

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BSS-43

BD-INDIA-POWER-RAIL

Sheikh Hasina-Modi to open 500 MW power supply to Bangladesh

DHAKA, Sept 09, 2018 (BSS) – Five hundred megawatts (MW) more electricity are going to be added to the national grid from India tomorrow as part of India-Bangladesh cooperation in power and energy sector.

Official sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will jointly inaugurate the power supply to Bangladesh-India Power Interconnection Grid at Bheramara of Kushtia through a videoconference tomorrow afternoon.

Sheikh Hasina will join the programme from Ganabhaban in Dhaka, while the Indian prime minister will join it from his office in New Delhi.

On the occasion, the two leaders will jointly launch the newly-constructed 500 MW HVDC back-to-back station 2nd Block at Bheramara.

The sources said of the 500 MW electricity, 300 MW will come from India’s state-run National Thermal Power Plant, while 200 MW will come from private Power Trading Corporation of India.

With the addition of 500 MW electricity, the amount of import of electricity from India will stand at 1160 MW. Currently, Bangladesh is importing 660 MW electricity from India.

Of them, 500 MW were added to the national grid in Bheramara of Kushtia from Baharampur of India’s West Bengal state, while 160 MW were added to the national grid in Cumilla from Tripura of India.

Through the same function, the two prime ministers will inaugurate construction work of the Bangladesh part of Akhaura-Agartala Dual Gauge rail line project.

They will also jointly inaugurate the construction work of Kulaura-Shahbajpur section rehabilitation project of Bangladesh Railway through the videoconference.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address a civic gathering through a videoconference at Akhaura Railway Station marking inauguration of the Bangladesh part of Akhaura-Agartala rail route.

Railway sources said the rehabilitation of 51 kilometre long Kulaura-Shahbazpur section would be completed at a cost of Tk 544 crore 87 lakh under the Indian Line of Credit (LoC).

Under the project, construction of bridge, bridge building, station building, platform, shed construction, level crossing and railway line will be reformed.

The total mainline will be 44.77 km, while the 7.77 kilometre long loop line will be renovated.

The Bangladesh part of Akhaura-Agartala rail line and the rehabilitation of Kulaura-Shahbazpur section would be implemented under India’s one billion dollar LoC.

After commissioning of the railway lines, the sources said, Bangladesh-India rail connectivity would be strengthened and it will also boost economic cooperation between the two neighbours.

BSS/SH/KU/2049 HRS