India-Bangladesh power transmission link opened

In a historic event, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated  the India- Bangladesh Grid interconnection in Bangladesh through a video-conference. The key 71-km Baharampur-Bheramara transmission link between the electricity grids of the two countries will boost the ties between the two nations.  The link would facilitate cross-border electricity transfer of up to 500 mega watt (MW) from India to Bangladesh.

The grid interconnection between the two countries through a 500MW High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) between the eastern region of India and western grid of Bangladesh has being designed in such a manner that it would enable control of power transfer in either direction up to the capacity of the HVDC buffer, depending upon the availability and demand on either side.

Under the arrangement, a total of 500 MW of power is initially slated to flow from India to Bangladesh, of which 250 MW would be from the Centre’s unallocated quota of power (at rates notified by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) and the other 250 MW to be contracted by Bangladesh from the Indian electricity market. The capacity of the interconnection can be increased to 1,000 MW in due course.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2013

Category: International / World Current Affairs