Bangladesh to invest in hydro projects in Nepal, import electricity

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    Kathmandu, January 22 Bangladesh plans to sign an agreement with Nepal to invest in hydropower projects and import electricity, the state minister for power said recently.

    “The deal will be signed within a month,” Nasrul Hamid said at a press meet in Dhaka, local media reported.

    According to reports, Bangladesh, currently facing a power crisis, is looking for energy partners in the region to meet its growing demand. Although power generation has nearly doubled in the last eight years, one-third of the population still does not have access to electricity. Dhaka plans to provide electricity to all households in the country by 2021, local media report.

    Hamid said the government has made similar proposal to Bhutan. “India has agreed to allow Bangladesh to use its land in order to import electricity from Bhutan and Nepal.” At present, Bangladesh imports 600 megawatt of electricity from India. The aim of the government is to import 10,000MW from neighbouring countries. The state minister said that it would take five to seven years to produce electricity from a hydropower project.