AGARTALA: Bangladesh currently owes Rs. 200 crore to Tripura for electricity supplied under an agreement between the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) and the Bangladesh Power Development Board.
Despite this pending payment, the Tripura government has yet to make a decision on halting the power supply to Bangladesh.
Since March 2016, Tripura has been providing 60-70 megawatts of power to Bangladesh, generated at the ONGC Tripura Power Company's gas-based plant in Palatana. However, Bangladesh has failed to settle its growing dues, raising concerns about the future of power supply.
Tripura began supplying electricity to Bangladesh as a goodwill gesture, acknowledging the assistance Bangladesh provided in facilitating the transport of machinery for the state's power generation. Chief Minister Manik Saha stated that while no decision has been made to stop the supply, the state may reconsider its stance if payments remain unsettled.
The issue of unpaid dues has also affected other Indian power suppliers to Bangladesh, including Adani Power, which has scaled back its electricity exports due to Bangladesh's failure to settle an outstanding debt of approximately USD 800 million.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, it came to notice that Bangladesh owed Rs 161 crore to Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) in unpaid electricity bills and the matter had been raised with the Centre, state Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Tuesday.
Power Minister Nath said that the TSECL was supplying 70 to 80 MW of electricity daily to Bangladesh, which had been facing severe electricity shortages to feed its consumers.
He said that despite the huge outstanding payments, the TSECL would continue to supply electricity to the neighbouring country. Tripura had started supplying 100 MW of power to Bangladesh from the state-owned ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) power plant in March 2016. The power supply sometimes increased to 160 MW.
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