NTPC may sell power to Bangladesh from upcoming Assam plant

The state-run National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is open to selling electricity to Bangladesh from its upcoming 750 MW plant at Kokrajhar in Assam once the country finalises power purchase pact with the Palatana project in Tripura.

Salakati (Assam):State-run NTPC will consider selling electricity to Bangladesh from its upcoming 750 MW plant at Kokrajhar in Assam once the neighbouring country finalises plans to buy power from Palatana project in Tripura.

"Bangladesh is planning to purchase power from Palatana project in Tripura and talks are going on in this regard. If it is successful, then there is no problem in giving power to Bangladesh (from the upcoming Assam plant)," NTPC Group General Manager (Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project) Utpal Chakrabarti told PTI here.

For selling power to Bangladesh, separate transmission lines will be required to set up, he added.

"Bangladesh needs power. If they can purchase it, then why should not we sell it? We will consider it accordingly" Chakrabarti said.

He said however that there have been no official discussions as of now on selling electricity to Bangladesh from the Assam plant.

In May, a two-day meeting of Power Secretaries of India and Bangladesh in Dhaka reviewed the progress on the neighbour's move for import of additional 600 MW power, of which 100 MW would go from Tripura's Palatana power project starting next December, while 500 MW was expected to reach in December 2017.

NTPC had synchronised the first 250 MW unit of the Bongaigaon project in Assam on June 22 this year, marking the beginning of the company's operations in North-East. The unit is expected to be commercialised in December this year.

The Maharatna company is setting up three units of 250 MW each at the coal-based project, which is being executed by PSU firm BHEL.

The entire 750 MW project was scheduled to be completed by 2012, but got delayed till 2016 due to various social disturbances, law and order issues and bad weather conditions.
NTPC had received investment approval for the project in January 2008 and the main plant award was placed within one month.

All the three units were scheduled for commissioning during the 11th Plan period. The Unit 1 and Unit 2 boiler hydro tests were done in January 2011 and April 2012 respectively.

At the time of starting the construction, the cost of the project was estimated to be Rs 4,720 crore.

The fuel for the plant will be sourced from the mines in Margherita area in Assam under North-Eastern Coal Fields Ltd (NECL) and Raniganj coal sources in West Bengal under Eastern Coal Fields Ltd (ECL).

Once the project is completed, it will become the highest rated coal-based power plant in North East India.

It is expected that once the entire project is commissioned, it will go a long way in mitigating the power shortage of the region.

NTPC has already signed power purchase agreements with seven states of North East for allocating 85 per cent of total production, of which 50.8 per cent will be received by Assam.

The plant is being constructed at the land available from the erstwhile Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project of ASEB. The entire project is spread over an area of 964 acres.