Anisul Islam Noor :
The government is going to take up medium scale coal-fired power projects in both the public and the private sectors to continue the present rate of electricity generation intact in view of the failure of many mega power projects in the private sector.
Sources said that setting up of many mega power plants could not start yet due to lack of financial support and land related disputes.
Sources close to the Power Development Board (PDB) said that the government undertook nine mega coal-fired power projects during the period between 2012 and 2015.
Of the nine projects, only Rampal plant near the Sundarbans in the district of Bagerhat, has got environmental clearance, while seven projects are yet to get green signal due to land dispute. State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid admitted that the private sector coal-fired power projects had failed to work as per agreement. Insiders of the power sector also expressed their doubt about the implementation of the coal-fired large power projects in the private sector. Consequently, Rural Power Company Ltd is now working on a proposal given by the Power China Hubei Hongyuan Power Engineering Co Ltd for setting up a 350MW coal-fired power project at Munshiganj under the government-to-government (G2G) deal.
The company has also shown interest to set up power plants under EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contracts. The RPCL has sought policy level decision to sign memorandum of understanding to implement the power project. China Hubei has already sent the draft of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this end.
As per the draft, RPCL agreed in principle to appoint a company for establishing the 350MW coal-fired power plant at Gazaria or elsewhere. The financial matter will be dealt with between the two governments.
Besides, the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB) has also taken an initiative to set up 300MW coal-fired project at Gazaria in Munshiganj.
As part of the move, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on July 11 approved setting up of a coal-fired power project having capacity to generate 300MW-350MW under IPP mode at Uzirpur in Barisal.
Consortium of the ISO Tech, SEPC and Taylor Power Limited will set up the power project on 92.47 acres of land, an official concerned said.
Meanwhile, the government has renewed the contract of seven rental power plants for another one year, condition and rate remaining unchanged. The rental power plants have got the invested capital with profit according to the first deal signed with the government.
Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) told The New Nation that these power plants were given without tender under special Act with an understanding that the company would invest capital with profit in three to five- year term.
The rate of the renewed rental power plants should be re-fixed adjusting the real cost, he said.
M Tamim, former adviser of last caretaker government said that dependence on the costly rental system will be increased due to delay in electricity generation by the coal and gas-based power plants.
