Staff Reporter :The country’s national grid is likely to get around 560 MW of electricity by April 30 this year as the two base load power plants of the local Summit Group are being completed for their commercial commissioning, official sources said.The plants are 335 MW combined cycle unit of Summit Meghnaghat Power and 341 MW simple cycle unit of Summit Bibiyana II plant.The Summit Group has informed the state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) that it would be able to commercially commission its Meghnaghat Power Plant’s combined cycle unit by April 30. The simple cycle unit of Meghnaghat plant has been in operation for last few months, producing over 200 MW.A progress report submitted to the Power Division shows that Summit has completed 99 per cent of its civil and engineering works till January last.Initially, the commercial operation date (COD) was March 31. But due to problem in gas supply the date has now been rescheduled for April 30, the sources said. Once the plant’s COD is done and it starts running in full-swing of capacity, the country will get about 335 MW from the Meghnaghat project. Besides, the Summit Group’s 341 MW Bibiyana II Plant’s simple cycle unit is getting ready for commercial commissioning by April 30 as well.As per the progress report, Summit completed 97 per cent of its civil construction works and 83 per cent of engineering works till end of January. The gas turbine and generator of the plants were set up and the mechanical and electrical works were running.The 92 per cent works of gas pipe line installation has been completed by this time. PDB’s project director for the plant Saiful Islam Khan told The New Nation that Summit has informed the authorities concerned to commission its simple cycle unit by April 30.The official said once the simple cycle unit is commercially commissioned, the national grid will receive about 226 MW from the project. He said that if the Meghnaghat combined cycle unit and the simple cycle unit of Bibiyana-II come into operation by April 30, these two plants will add about 560 MW to the national grid. Summit Group has signed several contracts with state-run PDB, PGCB, Petrobangla, and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to set up dual-fuel 341 MW combined cycle power plant at Meghnaghat of Narayanganj having its 226.6 MW simple cycle unit and also for about a similar capacity gas-fired Bibiyana II power plant at Bibiyana in Sylhet region.American electric major General Electric (GE) is its partner in both the projects having 20 per cent share in each plant while Summit holds 80 percent of the shares.Summit has engaged a Chinese consortium of NEPC and CNEEC as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor to install both the Meghnaghat and Bibiyana plants.
