The country’s first wind power plant in Sonagazi upazila, Feni, was left neglected as millions of taka worth of machinery, purchased for generating wind power, lay unused.
Despite having the potential to generate clean, renewable and zero-emission energy, the plant failed to outlive its trial period because of the government’s lack of interest.
Sources said Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) built the power plant in 2005 as part of a pilot scheme to test feasibility of alternative power sources.
Nebula Techno Solutions Limited, an Indian company which was assigned as contractor for the project in 2004, established a wind battery hybrid power plant of 0.9-megawatt capacity, at a cost of Tk73m.
But the plant came to a halt as soon as the project ended, and no steps were taken to extend its operation in the following years.
A BPDB engineer, wishing to remain anonymous, said the government could have relaunched the project to produce alternative energy at a lower cost, but it didn’t.
“It is because of the government’s reluctance that the plant is now out of service,” he said.
President of Feni Palli Bidyut Samity Abdul Motaleb said, “The plant generated electricity in the first month of the pilot project. A 50-metre long tower, generator, control panel, substation, 11/0.4KV power line, two-day metre and other instruments were set up for this purpose,” he said. The plant was supposed to produce 0.90-megawatt power every second, he said.
Abul Kashem, a member of BPDB (power generation), censured the government for its “indifference” to meet the increasing demand for power by reinstating the plant. “As it is possible to generate wind power at a lower cost, the government should seriously think about it,” he said.
He also said the plant "stopped production because of technical problems. This is the reason why the contractors did not get their full payment.”
Sources said years of negligence have reduced the plant area to a grazing ground for cattle from the neighbouring areas. All the valuable instruments of the plant now lie unused and uncared-for.
When contacted, Khijir Khan, the project director of Sonagazi Wind Power Plant, refused to comment on the matter.
