Power import cost from India up 97pc

Mahfuz Emran: Bangladesh has been importing 1,160 MW of electricity from India for several years. 710 MW is imported from three centers of state-owned NTPC and 450 MW from two private centers. With this, Adani’s electricity import has been added since March of the last financial year. However, this electricity import cost is much higher than other centers of the country. As a result, the cost of electricity import from India has almost doubled in one jump in the last financial year.
According to the Power Development Board (PDB), Bangladesh imported 771.21 million kilowatt hours of electricity in the fiscal year 2021-22 from India. It costs Tk 4,673.21 crore. As a result, the average cost is Tk 6.06. After the arrival of Adani electricity in the last financial year, the import has increased to 1,515,550,000 kilowatt hours. However, the expenditure increased to Tk 9,223.41 crore. As a result, the average cost is Tk 8.77.
According to this, electricity imports from India increased by 36.35 percent last financial year. However, due to the addition of Adani’s bill, the cost of electricity import has increased by 97.37 percent. In addition to income, the increase in the dollar rate is also one of the reasons for this increase in expenditure. But the overall average cost also increased by about 45 percent.
Meanwhile, due to Adani, payment of capacity charges for electricity import from India has also increased. In fiscal year 2021-22, the capacity charge for electricity import from India was Tk 1,746.44 crore. However, last financial year, the capacity charge of electricity imports from India increased to Tk 3,269.11 crore. Out of this, the capacity charge of Adani’s center was Tk 632.57 crore.
According to PDB data, 178.82 million units of electricity were purchased under India’s NTPC’s 250 MW import contract in FY 2021-22. It costs Tk 668.06crore. That is, the average cost is Tk 3.74. In the financial year 2022-23, 180 crore 17 lakh units of electricity have been purchased from the centre. It costs Tk 901.05 crore. The average cost is Tk 5.
In FY 2021-22, 94.12 crore units of electricity were purchased under NTPC’s 160 MW import contract in Tripura. It costs Tk 762.47 crore. That is, the average cost is Tk 8.10. In fiscal year 2022-23, 107.39 crore units of electricity have been purchased from the centre. It costs Tk 925.48 crore. The average cost is Tk 8.62.
In fiscal year 2021-22, 262.15 crore units of electricity were purchased under NTPC’s 300 MW import contract. It costs Tk 1,519.93 crore. That is, the average cost is Tk 5.80. In the financial year 2022-23, 251.58 crore units of electricity have been purchased from the Centre. A total of Tk 1,799.57 crore has been spent on it. The average cost is Tk 7.15.
Meanwhile, under the private sector Sambcorp 250 MW import contract, 190.64 crore units of electricity were purchased in the fiscal year 2021-22. Tk 1,383.92 crore has spent on it. That is, the average cost is Tk 7.26. Last financial year, 183.90 crore units of electricity were purchased from the centre. Tk 1,829.44 crore has been spent on it. The average cost is Tk 9.95.
Under the private sector PTC 200 MW import contract, 45.48 crore units of electricity were purchased in the fiscal year 2021-22. It costs Tk 338.83 crore. That is, the average cost is Tk 7.45. Last fiscal year, 168.69 million units of electricity were purchased from the centre. Tk 1,526.46 crore has been spent on it. The average cost is Tk 9.05.
Apart from this, 748 MW electricity started coming from Adani’s Jharkhand plant in March last fiscal year. In four months, 159.82 crore units of electricity came from the center. For this, the bill has to be paid Tk 2,241.41 crore. That is, the average import cost has fallen to Tk 14.02. However, if Adani’s power is excluded, the average cost of electricity import from the previous five centers has fallen to Tk 7.83. In other words, Adani’s electricity price is 79 percent higher than the average cost of other centers.
Although the cost of importing Adani’s electricity has decreased due to the reduction in coal prices, Chairman of PDB Mahbubur Rahman. He told that the price of coal in the international market has been declining since January. This reduces Adani’s electricity import costs. However, due to the increase in the dollar exchange rate, the overall cost of importing electricity from India has increased.