AGARTALA, December 1 (TIWN): OTPC's 100 MW power export to Bangladesh not only will generate revenue, but further employment, infrastructure development to strengthen Tripura's economy. Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar earlier said: "We have already told the Indian government that Tripura is ready to supply at least 100 MW of electricity to Bangladesh. The central government can now take necessary steps to supply power to the neighbouring country."He said: "To supply power from Tripura to Bangladesh, only a 24-km new transmission line needed on the Indian side and a 27-km one in Bangladesh.""During my visit to Dhaka in 2012, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her desire to import power from our state."The chief minister said after the completion of commissioning of OTPC Unit II gas based power project this year, at least 200 MW power would be surplus in Tripura.The power generation from the first unit (363 MW) of the Rs.10,000-crore Palatana power plant began December 2013 and the second unit (363 MW) will start commercial generation from January 2015 after today's inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. OTPC Palatana Unit II will be on test run for a month before going for commercial generation starting from January'2015.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) commissioned its biggest ever commercial power project (726 MW) at Palatana in southern Tripura (60 km south of Agartala) while the state-run North East Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) is setting up a 104 MW power project at Monarchak in western Tripura (70 km south of Agartala) and eight km from the India-Bangladesh border.

To set up the Rs10,000-crore power plant, including transmission lines, ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC) was floated by ONGC, the Tripura government and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Service Limited (IL&FS), an infrastructure and financial service organisation.