Agartala, Jan 16:
Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Friday said that after Tripura, the Assam government is also keen to export its surplus electricity to Bangladesh by routing it through Tripura. He made the statement while referring to discussions held with Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma during the latter’s two-day visit to the state.
Dr. Sarma, who arrived in Agartala on Thursday, held a detailed meeting and dinner with Chief Minister Saha at his official residence. During the interaction, both leaders discussed several issues of mutual interest, including power cooperation and interstate connectivity.
“During our discussion, the Assam Chief Minister expressed his willingness to share Assam’s surplus electricity with Bangladesh through Tripura. Since 2016, Tripura has been supplying power to Bangladesh, and the Memorandum of Understanding for this arrangement will expire in March this year. There is a strong possibility that the MoU may be extended,” Dr. Saha told the media.
He added that Tripura currently supplies over 100 MW of electricity to Bangladesh from the ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) plant in Gomati district, with supply sometimes reaching up to 160 MW. Officials said the agreement has already been renewed twice since its inception in 2016, while Bangladesh has recently requested an increase in supply to at least 250 MW. A final decision on the proposal is yet to be taken.
Apart from power trade, the two Chief Ministers also discussed the urgent need to widen the National Highway connecting Tripura and Assam, particularly at Churaibari in North Tripura. Dr. Saha said the narrow highway causes severe traffic congestion, affecting the movement of goods-laden trucks, buses and other vehicles. Churaibari, the entry point to Tripura, witnesses heavy traffic daily.
Meanwhile, Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the state is exploring new avenues for power export, including Nepal. He added that Tripura is investing in modern technologies to boost power generation efficiency, including a combined-cycle gas turbine project at Rokhia and a proposed 800 MW pumped storage project at Chawmanu.
