Burma and Bangladesh are likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on trading electricity very soon, according to a Bangladesh Power Ministry report.

A senior Power Ministry official from Bangladesh said on Monday that a Burmese delegation would be visiting Dhaka soon to sign a MoU on it. A high-powered Bangladesh delegation received the consent of the Burmese junta on the cross-border electricity trade during a recent visit to Burma.

Burma has agreed to build two hydropower plants in western Arakan State to export around 575 megawatts of electricity to energy-starved Bangladesh, the official said.

Burma already has two hydropower projects underway in Arakan State at Sai Din and Tha Htay Chaung, while another large hydropower project at Lay Myo River is now under survey.

The three projects will cost over 800 million US Dollars and will produce an estimated 687 megawatts of electricity after completion.

Burma’s Power Ministry No. 1 Minister Zaw Min had said once that electricity consumption in the whole of Arakan State is only 30 megawatts, and the surplus electricity generated will be sold to neighbouring countries and distributed to Burma proper.