A 1,320-megawatt (MW) coal-based Payra Thermal Power Plant set up on 12 acres of land in Kalapara upazila in Patua-khali is likely to start production from next December.
If everything goes according to the plan, 660 MW of electricity from the power plant will be added to the national grid from December this year.
Chinese and Bangladeshi workers are working round the clock to make the power plant fully operational by June 2020.
Sources said that the thermal power plant is a joint venture of the North-West Power Generation Company Bangla-desh Limited (NWPGCL) and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC).
Although the project was expected to be completed within 2019, the work got delayed due to various unforeseen events, including workers’ dissatisfaction. About 2,600 Chinese and 5,500 Bangali workers are currently working in this power plant.
Indonesia’s MV Jingheiton, a coal-laden vessel, has unloaded coal at the Payra thermal power station’s jetty as the first step to produce electricity.
Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) sources said that the construction of a 400 KV line through a Korean company and a 230 KV line through a Chinese company to bring power from the coal-based Paira power plant is progressing at a rapid pace.
The electricity generated from this plant will be added to the substation of Gopalganj. From there, it will be supplied to the national grid.
Shah Moni Zico, assistant manager of the project, said the work on this project is moving fast. The power plant will play a major role in meeting future electricity needs, he added.
Shah Md Golam Mawla, project director of the 1,320-MW power plant, said that the first unit will go on to produce 660MW of electricity on December 25. The remaining 660MW will be fully integrated into the national grid by June next year.
Another 1,320-MW power plant will be built in the vicinity of this plant by 2022, he added.
On 19 March 2015, a deal was signed between NWPGCL and the CMC to set up the Payra Power Plant. The joint venture was named Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL). On 29 March 2016, BCPCL signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with consortium of NEPC and CECC for the installation of the power plant.
The utility electricity sector in Bangladesh has one national grid with an installed capacity of 21,419 MW as of September 2019. The total installed capacity is 20,000 MW (combining solar power).
In June, a Chinese electrician was killed and seven other employees of 1320 MW Payra Power Plant were injured in a clash between Bangladeshi and Chinese employees amid rumours that a Bangladeshi worker was killed by Chinese employees.
(EB)