The power starved Bangladesh is currently in talks with Indian government to buy at least 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity from large solar parks being set up in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
According to a recent report published in Livemint Bangladesh’s interest in Indian solar power comes at a time Indian companies are eyeing long-term deals with Bangladesh companies for supplying domestic cooking gas and other petroleum products.
The report also cited that this comes in the backdrop of India’s record low solar power tariff of Rs2.44 per unit registered in May 2017. India, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, plans to achieve 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022. Of this, 100GW is to come from solar. Also, as part of India’s strategy of playing a key role in creating a new energy security architecture for its neighbours, 660MW is currently being supplied to Bangladesh.
India and Bangladesh last year signed two lines of credit worth $5 billion during Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India. During the visit Modi highlighted energy security as an important dimension of India-Bangladesh ties and promised to add another 500MW under an existing transmission link.
However, there is no consensus yet on the vexed issue of sharing of the waters of the river Teesta between the two countries.
Chowdhury also said that a model on the lines of Adani Group’s Jharkhand thermal power project can be explored in solar energy, where the entire power generated from a power plant is meant for India’s neighbour.
