Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – The government signs a US$100 million loan deal with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday for installing Bangladesh-India cross-border power grid to import electricity from its neighbor.
The ADB in a negotiation in August this year agreed to bankroll the 400-kilovolt (kv) power transmission grid between the two countries, officials said.
The government will install 40-kilometre-long 400kv cross-border power transmission line at a cost of Tk10.40 billion ($150 million) by June 2012 aiming at importing 500megawatt electricity from India, they added.
The state-owned Power Grid Company Ltd (PGCB) has already undertaken the project to build the transmission line.
About 100 kilometer cross-border power grid will connect Bangladesh’s western Bheramara and India’s eastern Baharampur in the West Bengal state.
The PGCB will set up the 40km grid from Bheramara to the border point and the rest nearly 60km portion from border point to Baharampur will be installed by the Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCI).
On July 26 this year, Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) signed a 35-year power transmission agreement aiming to import 250mw electricity in the first year from the neighbor, starting from late 2012, and it will reach 500mw subsequently.
BBN/SSR/SI-13Oct10-9:52 am (BST)
