Bangladesh Faces Rs 200 Crore Unpaid Electricity Bill to Tripura: Will It Impact Power Supply?

24 Dec 2024

On Monday, Chief Minister Manik Saha stated that Bangladesh has an outstanding electricity bill of Rs 200 crore to Tripura, but no decision has been made yet to halt power supply to the neighbouring country. As per an agreement between Tripura Rajya Vidyut Nigam Limited and the Bangladesh Power Development Board, facilitated by NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited, Tripura provides 60-70 MW of electricity to Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh owes us approximately Rs 200 crore for power supply, and the outstanding amount is increasing daily. We hope they will settle the dues to prevent any disruption in power supply," Saha said during a conversation. On whether the Tripura government would cut off power supply if Dhaka fails to pay its dues, the chief minister stated that no decision has been taken on the matter so far.

He mentioned that a significant portion of the machinery for the power generation plant in Tripura was brought through Bangladeshi territory or the Chittagong port. As a gesture of gratitude, the Tripura government began supplying electricity to Bangladesh following an agreement. However, I don't know how long we will be able to continue providing electricity to Bangladesh if they don't settle their outstanding dues.

In March 2016, Tripura started exporting electricity to Bangladesh. The power is generated at the 726 MW gas-based plants in Palatana, southern Tripura, operated by the state-owned ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC). Reports indicate that Adani Power, which exports electricity to Bangladesh from its 1600 MW Godda plant in Jharkhand, reduced its supply from around 1400-1500 MW to 520 MW in August following non-payment of USD 800 million by Bangladesh.