The closer cooperation between Bangladesh and India, signaled as a rush of agreements between public agencies in the two countries, seems to be taking a turn toward more solid ground. Bureaucrats within the two main public utilities have signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a new coal fired power plant in Khulna.
Designed to aid Bangladesh increase its energy capacity, the joint venture will be steered by Bangladeshi and Indian. This move closely tracks other recent attempts to design and implement sustainable energy production in Bangladesh.
The Daily Star describes the agreement in broad terms:
“A competent source of the PDB told The Daily Star that a four-member Bangladesh team led by PDB Chairman Alamgir Kabir is now on a visit to Delhi to sign the deal that came as a follow up of several initial agreements reached during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India back in January.”
“Under the MoU between the two national companies, the large coal fired power plant will be set up under equal partnership. A joint venture agreement for the coal plant will be signed later and a board will be formed comprising equal members from both the countries. The chairman and the managing director’s position will be periodically rotated between the two nations to maintain equality.”
‘The MoU also outlines the fundamental areas of power sector cooperation. These includes NTPC’s assistance in developing human resources in Bangladeshi power sector, improvement of efficiency and the scope to go for more joint ventures by the two state companies in power projects in both India and Bangladesh in the future.”
Now it only remains to build that power plant.