Bangladesh is eyeing a broader energy partnership with neighbouring India to bolster its national grid and secure stable electricity supplies. Following high-level discussions held in New Delhi earlier this month, Power Division Secretary Md. Habibur Rahman (referred to locally as Mirana Mahrukh) affirmed Dhaka’s intention to scale up electricity imports beyond the current baseline of approximately 2,500 megawatts.
During the bilateral visit in early August, the Bangladeshi delegation met with Indian Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal to review ongoing cross-border energy commitments and explore new avenues for technical collaboration. Indian media outlets reported that both nations agreed to strengthen engagement through established institutional frameworks, ensuring smooth grid integration and supply continuity.
Speaking in an interview with Business India regarding the outcome of the visit, the Bangladeshi Power Secretary highlighted the strategic importance of these deliberations. “We discussed cross-border power trade in detail. I hope this partnership will be further strengthened,” she noted, adding that regional connectivity remains a primary focus for Dhaka’s long-term energy security strategy.
The agenda spanned several critical infrastructure areas, including grid transmission links, the Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at Rampal, and prospective cooperation in renewable energy. At present, Bangladesh maintains contractual arrangements to import up to 2,756 megawatts of power from India, alongside a smaller 40-megawatt cross-border agreement with Nepal. Electricity from India is sourced through separate bilateral contracts with public and private producers, including Adani Power, NTPC Limited, Sembcorp Energy India, and PTC India Limited. Notably, Adani’s Godda ultra-supercritical thermal power plant in Jharkhand alone supplied 8,030 million kilowatt-hours of electricity to Bangladesh during the 2024–25 fiscal year.
The power secretary emphasised that bilateral cooperation extends well beyond mere supply figures. The Rampal power plant, jointly developed under the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company, remains a pivotal component of the nation’s baseline generation capacity. Looking ahead, Dhaka aims to leverage sub-regional frameworks such as the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) initiative to establish a integrated regional energy market.
Green energy transition and technological innovation also featured prominently in the bilateral talks. With India investing heavily in clean energy research, Bangladesh sees potential in partnering on green hydrogen and advanced renewable projects. Joint efforts may also focus on modernising coal-fired generation by utilizing operational by-products efficiently and mitigating environmental impacts, paving the way for a more sustainable energy partnership across the subcontinent.
