Amid frequent load-shedding in the wake of power supply shortages across Bangladesh, an idea of greater electricity connectivity in the south Asian region has been considered a realistic and pragmatic initiative.
This idea was conceived by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday when he called for building a South Asian grid to share hydroelectricity generated by Nepal and Bhutan. He came up with this proposal in a meeting with the Social Business Group on the sidelines of the UN Climate Conference, COP29, in Baku.
As a matter of fact, Bangladesh could well benefit from the proposed south Asian electricity grid since Dhaka can easily bring hydroelectricity from Nepal at a reasonable price as it is only 40 miles away from Bangladesh. This is why a South Asian power grid should be put in place in the future.
This is quite possible as Nepal alone has the potential to generate 40,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity, which can help lessen the reliance on fossil fuels in bigger countries like India and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has already signed a trilateral deal with Nepal and India to receive 40 megawatts of electricity. This historic agreement was stamped in Kathmandu in October this year, allowing Nepal for the first time to sell electricity to a third country. Until now, Nepal's energy trade has been limited to India.
In the deal, the Indian side has been involved because Nepal's electricity will be transmitted to Bangladesh through the transmission infrastructure on the Indian territory as Nepal and Bangladesh are not territorially linked. Nepal is expected to sell 144,000 MWh (megawatt-hour) of electricity in five months-mid-June to mid-November-every year at the rate of 6.4 US cents a unit. So, Nepal is expected to earn an estimated of around Rs330 million through the sale of hydropower to Bangladesh.
Hydroelectricity import from Nepal is crucial for Bangladesh as a clean source of energy. Currently, in Bangladesh's energy mix, representation of hydropower is very nominal with only 230 MW being generated in the Karnafuli Hydropower Station situated in Rangamati. As a result, hydroelectricity makes up just 1 percent of our total power generation of 24,911 MW. On the other hand, renewable energy production reaches only 459 MW.
Apart from Nepal, Bangladesh has also been working on a tripartite agreement with Bhutan and India to import around 1,500MW of hydroelectricity from Bhutan through India. This issue was prominently focused during the visit of Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to Dhaka early this year.
In the face of our continued power crisis, the concept for greater electricity connectivity through the development of a south Asian grid will no doubt benefit Bangladesh largely. But implementation of this initiative is not an easy task if concerted efforts are not taken by the concerned countries and stakeholders.
