Unit 1 of the Rampal coal-based thermal power plant, a Bangladesh-India joint venture, has started power generation again on an experimental basis.
The power generation resumed on Friday, a month after the first trial production was halted due to cyclone Sitrang.
The power plant had generated 400MW of electricity till 6:30 pm on Friday, said Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL) Deputy General Manager Anwarul Azim.
The unit is expected to reach its maximum output – 660MW – by Sunday, he said.
Power generation on a trial basis started again at the first unit of Maitri Super Thermal Power Plant in Rampal at 12:01am on Friday, said the official.
The experimental power generation of the first unit began on August 15 but was suspended on October 24 due to Cyclone Sitrang. The load test of the unit had reached 400MW last time.
According to sources, all preparations for production at the first unit of the Rampal coal-based plant have been completed.
National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) certification is pending after completion of trial production. The work on the second unit of the center is also about 80% complete.
According to the progress schedule, the production of this unit will also start in June next year.
If the two units of the Rampal power plant produce at full capacity (1,320 MW in total), they will burn about 15,000 tons of coal per day.
When the first unit runs at full capacity, 7,500 tons of coal will be burned daily. Meanwhile, 300,000 tons of coal is being brought from Indonesia through Bashundhara. Tender evaluation is going on to import 8 million tons of coal. That coal can come from Indonesia, Australia or South Africa.
The physical progress of the project till March 2022 was over 79.30% and the financial progress was 76.1%. The cumulative cost of the project is Tk12,175.27 crore.
The 1,320-megawatt (660*2) power plant is being implemented by Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL).
India's Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) was awarded the contract for the project.
In 2010, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India's NTPC for the implementation of the Rampal Power Plant Project.
According to the MoU, Rampal was supposed to begin production in 2018.
However, the deadline was extended several times for various reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
