The government greenlit the acquisition of 40 megawatts of power from Nepal, facilitated through India’s power grid.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) secured the electricity via direct purchase, as decided by the cabinet committee on economic affairs.

This decision follows earlier talks between Kathmandu and Dhaka to finalize a 25-year agreement for electricity import from Nepal, pending tariff negotiations.

Since 2018, Nepal and Bangladesh have been fostering collaboration in the power sector, formalizing their intent through a memorandum of understanding.

Under the ‘Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal’ (BBIN) initiative, Nepal and India have also pledged cooperation in the power sector at a sub-regional level, per the Kathmandu Post.

Bangladesh aims to expand its energy sources by incorporating external options and boosting the proportion of renewable energy in its overall mix.

The country’s interest in acquiring 500 MW of electricity from Nepal aligns with Nepal’s substantial hydroelectric potential, estimated at over 72,000 MW.