India has shipped the first consignment of about 4,000 tonnes of coal to Bangladesh for Rampal Power Plant in Khulna district. It is a joint venture between India's state-run National Thermal Power Corporation and Bangladesh Power Development Board, bdnews24.com reported.

Sourced from the Dhanbad in India’s Jharkhand state, the coal is expected to be unloaded at Kidderpore Dock in Kolkata – the capital of West Bengal - and dispatched to the captive jetty of the power plant, set up by Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company (BIFPC).

The company expects 20,000 tonnes of Indian coal to be sourced to Bangladesh every month.

The Bangladesh government recently canceled 10 planned coal-based power plants after considering their environmental impact.

The power plants were part of the 2010-2011 electricity masterplan but were not implemented in time. There was a discussion about scrapping the projects at the time.

In addition, Bangladesh’s signing of the Paris Agreement and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s role as the chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum have made it “essential for us to generate electricity through more environmentally friendly means”, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu.

Since 2008, Bangladesh had approved the construction of 18 coal-based power plants, including the 10 scrapped now.
 
(SAM)