Despite rising power demand in Durga Puja, Tripura continues electricity supply to B'desh: Minister

Tripura is supplying 44-45 MW of electricity to Bangladesh during the five-day Durga Puja festivities, as per a previous agreement, to help the neighbouring country maintain an uninterrupted power supply, the state’s Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Monday.

The Minister said that from the Central and state sources, the state has arranged 380 MW of electricity to meet the huge demand for power during the five-day Durga Puja period.

“Taking huge efforts, we have arranged 380 MW of electricity to meet the rising demand of electricity in the festive season. Mizoram will supply 40 MW of electricity during the Durga Puja in Tripura, and we will return a similar amount of electricity to the neighbouring state during Christmas,” Nath said.

He said that despite the huge demand for electricity in Tripura during Durga Puja and the hectic efforts to manage 380 MW of power, the state “maintained the supply of electricity to Bangladesh to ensure uninterrupted power during the Puja celebrations there.

According to a report by the Bangladesh newspaper ‘Prothom Alo’, Durga Puja will be celebrated in 33,355 mandaps and temples across the country this year, while the number was 31,461 last year.

Tripura started supplying 100 MW of power to Bangladesh from the state-owned ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) power plant in southern Tripura in March 2016.

An official said that Bangladesh owes a huge amount to Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) in unpaid electricity bills.

Power Minister Nath informed that during Durga Puja in 2022, the electricity demand in peak hour was 332 MW, in 2023 it was 311 MW, in 2024 it was 312 MW, and this year the expectation is around 380 MW.

“Last year, around 3,500 pujas were organised across Tripura. This year, 3,500 applications have been received from the Puja organisers. Special control rooms have been set up for Durga Puja at both Division and Sub-Division levels,” he added.

Nath, who also holds the Agriculture portfolio, said that State Load Dispatch Centre, Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) and Tripura Power Transmission Limited (TPTL) have taken a series of efforts to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the Durga Puja days.