The Power Development Board (PDB) is inviting international tenders to re-power the Ghorashal 4th unit power plant, which will see the construction on a turnkey basis of a 400MW gas-based combined cycle power plant.
Once the project is completed, an additional 230MW of power will be added to the national grid from the existing power generation capacity of 170MW. The existing Ghorashal 4th unit 210MW power plant was set up 25 years ago.
“The project will be the 4th unit of the existing Ghorashal power plant in Narsingdi where necessary infrastructure like gas connections and land are already in existence. Given the perennial gas crisis, re-powering technology gives a very cost effective solution to the country,” Md Shah Nawaz, project director of the re-powering project of Ghorashal 4th unit, told the Dhaka Tribune Sunday.
Re-powering is the process of replacing older power stations with newer ones that either have a greater nameplate capacity or more efficiency which results in a net increase of power generated.
“Once a contract is signed, the construction period for the project is 900 days, including a simple cycle completion time of 540 days,” Shah Nawaz said.
“The gas efficiency of these plants is now 33 percent. It will exceed 54 percent after the conversion,” he added.
The new plant will be built in Ghorashal on five acres of land owned by the PDB. The estimated cost of the project is $400 million, he said.
The PDB, under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, has already invited international tenders for the project. The last date for tender submissions is September 30.
The re-powering of the 4th unit of the Ghorashal plant is expected to be completed by December 2017.
Eligible bidders must provide $3 million in the form of an irrevocable and unconditional bank guarantee issued by a scheduled bank of Bangladesh or a foreign bank duly endorsed by a scheduled bank.