Importing electricity from India has brought some economic advantages for both Bangladesh and India. In fact, importing electricity from India is cheaper than most other available options for Bangladesh, says a recent report.
A report titled ‘Economic Benefits of Bangladesh-India Electricity Trade’ claimed so and it was released on Monday at a workshop organized by the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute in the capital. The report was prepared by Delhi-based research think-tank the Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) under the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI/EI) project supported by the USAID.
Gowher Rizvi, the International Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, spoke as the chief guest at the program. He said that the country had a power generation capacity of only around 4000 MW back in 2010 and now the capacity has increased to 15,000 MW, which is impressive. “The 600 MW power import from India has helped the country amid acute power crisis and now it is proven to be economical as well. All the South-Asian countries have power shortage and this kind of power trade is a great idea,” he added.
The study claimed that the trans-border electricity import from India is actually a win-win situation for both Bangladesh and India. Both the countries have identified infrastructure involving power and transport as potential areas to improve economic cooperation, leading to better political relations.
Among others, Harsh V Shringla, the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dr. Kirit Parikh, Chairman of IRADe, Farooq Sobhan, President of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, and Dr. Kerry Reeves, Deputy Director of Environment and Economic Growth Office of the United States Agency for International Development, addressed the event.
