Dhaka: Two proposals from Indian entrepreneurs to invest in the power and energy sector of Bangladesh are being tabled in anticipation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to Bangladesh next month.

According to Power and Energy Ministry officials, they are reviewing the proposals.

One is from the Reliance Group, India’s largest conglomerate, who wants to invest $3 billion in Bangladesh to gradually set up four LNG-based (liquefied natural gas) power plants with a combined generating capacity of 3,000 megawatt electricity.

The other proposal is from Mumbai-based Shapoorji Pallonji Group (SP Group) to set up a 220 MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant in Bhola.

‘We’ve received two proposals from Indian private sector and we’re now examining their nitty-gritty. These two projects may come up for discussion during the Indian PM’s visit,’ said a senior official at the Power Division.

The official, preferred not to be named, informed that these two groups have expressed their interest to implement the projects on unsolicited basis.

During the recent Bangladesh-India joint steering committee meeting on power sector cooperation, the issue of more involvement for the Indian and Bangladeshi private sectors in energy projects had been broached.

Bangladesh Prime Minister’s energy advisor Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi recently placed Reliance Group's proposal at a press conference, telling reporters that initially the group will invest $1.5 billion and it would be gradually doubled.

Reliance Group has offered to initially set up an LNG-based power plant with 750-MW capacity in the first phase and also set up another LNG-based power plant with the same capacity in the second phase.

There are two proposed locations for the Reliance project—one in Moheshkhali and another Meghnaghat—to set up the power plants.

Power Division officials said Reliance is maintaining direct contact with them about the project while a local entrepreneur, who is also an adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is pursuing the Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s power project.