Officials implementing a 1,320MW coal-based power plant near Patuakhali’s Payra maritime port hope that it will start generating electricity in 2019.
The joint venture company formed to execute the plan has already invited international tenders from interested bidders for the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and commissioning of the ultra super-critical plant having two 660MW units on turn-key basis.
The tenders will be opened on December 21 at the office of the company secretary in Dhaka.
Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BCPCL) – a joint venture firm of Chinese power company CMC and state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL) – will implement the mega power project.
The NWPGCL and the CMC signed a memorandum of understanding on March 19 last year to set up the plant. The plant will be built on the bank of the Rabnabad River near Payra maritime port at an estimated cost of $2bn.
So far, the NWPGCL has implemented two 150MW power plants – one in Sirajganj and the other in Khulna.
BCPCL Managing Director AM Khurshedul Alam yesterday said that they would be able to appoint the EPC contractor at the end of March next year.
He hoped that the first unit would start commissioning on April 25, 2019 and the second one on October 25 the same year.
The government has a plan to set up series of coal-fired power projects to generate 20,000MW of electricity by 2030.
The NWPGCL and the CMC will have equal share in the joint venture company. The project will be implemented on a 30:70 equity:debt basis. It means the NWPGCL and the CMC will have to provide 30% fund of the total project cost and mobilise the other 70% from international sources.
It will be built in Kalapara on a 397 hectare land. To acquire the land from locals, the government transferred Tk69 crore to the deputy commissioner of Patuakhali on April 29.
State-owned West Zone Power Distribution Company is assigned to construct a 65km 33kv distribution line from Patuakhali 132/33 kV Grid sub-station to the project area with two 33/0.4 kV and 200kva transformers.
The land development and protection project involving Tk783 crore was approved by the Ecnec on October 21 last year.
