Power-surplus India to electrify Bangladesh trade

NEW DELHI: After turning power-surplus, India is working with Bangladesh on a plan to double the capacity of existing transmission interconnects and set up a third link for increasing cross-border electricity trade in a bid to widen the regional market as new generation capacities come up on both sides.
Sources said the two sides are working to double the capacity of the Baharmapur-Bheramara line to 1,000 mw and also examine the possibility of raising the Tripura-Comilla line's capacity to 200 mw. Also on the table is a proposal to lay a third line from Assam's Bongaigaon to a suitable interconnect point in Bihar through Bangladesh. Though the proposal is at a nascent stage, sources said a HVDC (high-voltage, direct current) line with a capacity of around 2,000 mw is being looked at.

The new line is expected to wheel power from hydel projects proposed to be built in the northeast, some of which can also be shared with Bangladesh.This line would allow an easy tap-in or tap-off facility for both countries to feed -or plug into -each other's markets.

According to the Asian Develop ment Bank, interconnected networks increase the operational efficiency and reliability of existing national grids and encourage the development of new renewable power resources.Besides Bangladesh, India also exports power to Nepal and imports from Bhutan. A wider regional market with easy export and import options will help balance the output swing from the 175 mw of solar power capacity being pursued by India.

The talks for enhanced interconnect capacity are well-timed with developments on the ground as power generation grew at more than 9% in the April-June 2016 period against the same period of 2015.