By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, May 11, 2018: Odisha, which experimented with power reforms first time in the country now is exploring possibilities of trading of power with Bangladesh through its bulk purchaser cum trading entity Gridco.

The state aims at long-term uninterrupted supply of power to Bangladesh from 2020 till 2033, officials said adding that Gridco has qualified at the technical cum commercial tenders floated by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) financial bids are set to be invited in the next 15 days.

Odisha is expected to have a thermal power glut of over 1,600 Mw from 2020, as two super critical units of 660 Mw each owned by its PSU Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) are set to be commercialized by then. The state government will also be entitled to 800 Mw of power as its share from NTPC’s ensuing 1600 Mw super thermal power station at Darlipalli near Sundargarh.

Incidentally, the state government realizes that power trade with Bangladesh will fetch higher margins for Gridco compared with selling them at the volatility ridden energy exchanges. Tata Power is assisting us in the process, officials said.

Gridco will despatch power to the Murshidabad power sub-station in West Bengal and it will then be supplied to BPDB. Power evacuation is being done through the existing network of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).

As of now, India exports 600 Mw electricity to Bangladesh. Union power minister R K Singh had earlier announced the country will tap foreign markets like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to evacuate its surplus power.