Dhaka: Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) will set up a 230 kV transmission line from Mongla to Khulna to evacuate electricity to the Mongla port-adjacent areas from the planned 1,320 MW Rampal coal-fired power plant.

The state-owned transmission entity on Thursday signed a contract with joint venture contractor of EMC Ltd of India and TBEA of China to award the job for installing the 24 km high voltage transmission line.

The Indo-China JV will construct the transmission line at a contract value of Tk 114 crore in the next 18 months.

PGCB company secretary Md Ashraf Hossain and Anindya Mukherjee of EMC-TBEA signed the contract on behalf of their respective sides.

The PGCB has moved to build the transmission line from its own fund to facilitate power transmission from the Rampal coal-fired power plant.

PGCB officials said the transmission line is being constructed targeting the evacuation of power from the first unit (660 MW) of the Rampal power plant now being constructed in a site near Mongla port.

PGCB managing director Masum Al Beruni, executive director (P&D) Alamgir Hossaion and other top officials were present at the contract signing ceremony at PGCB head office in the city.