Dhaka: The Cabinet Purchase Committee on Wednesday approved 10 proposals, including the import of 140MW electricity from India.

Officials said the 140 MW power would be an addition to the existing amount Bangladesh is currently importing from the neighbouring country.

Of the total, 100 MW will come from Palatana power plant in eastern Indian state of Tripura while 40 MW from western state of West Bengal.

A meeting of the cabinet body, with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair, gave the nod to the proposals.

While briefing about the outcome of the meeting, Cabinet Division’s addition secretary Mustafizur Rahman said the 100 MW power will be imported for next five years under a government-to-government deal whose tariff will be Tk 6.26 per kilowatt hour (each unit).

The rate will be increased by 5 percent each year and the government has to spend a total amount of Tk 2,443 crore in the give years.

The remaining 40 MW will be imported from open market in India whose tariff has been fixed at Tk 4.50 per kilowatt hour.

Bangladesh has been importing 500 MW of electricity from India under two deals for the last couple of years. But in the receiving end, Bangladesh gets nearly 50 MW less due to technical loss in the transmission system.

To cover up the loss, Dhaka had to move for import of 40 MW which it will buy from Indian Power Trading Company Ltd (PTC).

The 100 MW power from Tripura will be imported to meet the demand of the country’s eastern region.

Of the other proposals, the committee approved one from Bridge Division to award contract to Bangladesh Army to carry out 1.3 km river training work at the river bank of the Padma Bridge project.

The area of the work covers from old ferry terminal at Mawa point to Kandipara-Sholodia point of the Padma River. The contract will cost Tk 392.40 crore.

A proposal of the Energy Ministry received approval of the cabinet body for extending tenure of German-based ILF Consulting Engineering for a project titled “Installation of Single Point Mooring with Double Pipeline” with amended rate of Euro 7.3988 million.

The same firm was appointed for the project for the next 36 months under a separate proposal at a cost of Euro 12.60 million.

The cabinet body approved a proposal of the Industries Ministry for importing 150,000 metric tons of DAP fertiliser from Saudi Arabia at a cost of Tk 540 crore. Each metric ton of fertiliser will cost $450.