BD Power Management Institute in the offing

block
Economic Reporter :
A move is underway to set up a “Bangladesh Power Management Institute (BPMI), aiming to provide training on power sector management and create efficient manpower for both public and private sectors.
The idea of setting up such a new organization received the consent of an inter-ministerial meeting on Monday convened by the Power Division of the Power, Energy and Mineral Resource Ministry. Power Secretary Monwar Islam presided over the meeting while top officials from different ministries including Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Division, Prime Minister’s Office attended.
Official sources said the proposed BPMI will be set up in the suburb of Keraniganj on 3 acres of land, currently owned by state-owned Power Development Board (PDB).
“The government’s target is to officially launch the BPMI’s activities by early 2017,” Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain, who participated in the inter-ministerial meeting, told the media. Ministry officials said the idea of founding the BPMI came into being from the government’s mega plan to generate 30,000 MW of power by 2021 and 40,000 MW by 2030. Half of that is planned from coal-fired power plant. But at present, there is no experienced manpower in the country to operate and manage coal-fired power plants. Manpower is said to be inadequate even for operating and managing the gas-fired and liquid-fuel fired power plants in the country. To address the shortfall, the government has moved for creating a high-standard power management institute, said an official. Recently State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid expressed his frustration over the same issue.
“Actually, the government has undertaken a huge plan to increase power generation by setting up new plants in private and public sector. But efficient manpower has been the biggest challenge to implementing the plan,” he told a recent seminar. Power Ministry, however, signed a deal with neighbouring India to send officials across for training in power management, particularly for coal-fired power plant operation.
Under the government plan, about 9000 MW coal-fired power plants will be set up in Maheshkhali island while work is in progress for setting up a 1320 MW power plant in Rampal and another similar capacity power plant in Payra of Patuakhali.
Preparations are also ongoing for setting up another 1200 MW coal-fired power plant in Matarbari of Cox’s Bazaar with the financial support of Japan.
block