A joint-secretary level meeting recommends signing a power trade agreement

Kathmandu; The energy talks held at the joint-secretary level of Nepal and Bangladesh on Wednesday recommended signing a power trade agreement between the two countries.

The fourth meeting of the joint working group of the two countries has recommended preparing a draft of a bilateral agreement. Provided the secretary-level meetings scheduled for Thursday endorse the recommendation, it will pave a way for these countries to ink the agreement.

According to a member of the bilateral meeting, both the countries consented to make an approach to India from their respective sides. “Based on the development that follows, both the countries will then initiate a trilateral talk including India,” the source said.

At the Wednesday meeting, Joint-secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Madhu Bhetuwal led the Nepali team. Similarly, Mohsin Chowdhury, additional secretary of the Power Division of Bangladesh, led the Bangladeshi delegation.

Bangladesh is consistently showing interest in purchasing electricity from Nepal.  Nepal and Bangladesh signed an energy cooperation deal in 2018.

During the third bilateral meeting of the joint working group and joint steering committee held in September last year, the two countries had agreed upon carrying out cross-border electricity trade using Indian transmission lines. The two countries had consented to develop a dedicated transmission line by taking India on board. However, there has not been any trilateral talk in this issue as of now.

Meanwhile, the joint working group meeting also proposed to form a joint company to work on the Sunkoshi-3 Hydropower Project. Nepali side also presented a feasibility study report of the reservoir power project at the meeting. The study conducted by the Department of Power Development has shown the project to be viable for construction.