
Bangladesh Seeks to Widen Scope of Cross-Border Energy Transmission
13 March 2016

Bangladesh is seeking to import power from Bhutan through the Indian corridor. Mr. Nasrul Hamid, Bangladesh State Minister for Power and Energy, discussed the possibility of enhancing the scope of Bangladesh-India cross-border energy transmission to include Bhutan in a meeting with Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla on energy cooperation on 13 March 2016.
Bangladesh is mulling a $1 billion investment in Bhutan's hydropower industry. A draft memorandum of understanding to import electricity from Bhutan is being reviewed by the country's Power Division. Preliminary talks have also begun between Bangladesh, Bhutan and India.
The World Bank's International Finance Corporation may finance the regional power trade.
The Government of Bangladesh aims to increase the country's electricity-generation capacity to 20,000 megawatts by 2021 and to 40,000 MW by 2030. The Power System Master Plan 2010 recommends tapping into the hydropower potential of Bhutan, and also Nepal, via India to diversify its electricity resources.
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