First unit to go into commercial operation soon

Payra1320 MW coal-fired power plant is set to announce its Initial Operation Date (IOD) this week following the successful test run of the country's biggest power project.
"We have successfully completed the test run of the first unit of this project in different phases and produced about 680 MW of electricity during the period. We get the signal and ready to announce the commercial operation from here by this week," AM Khurshedul Alam, CEO and acting Managing director of Bangladesh-China Power Company (BCPCL), said.
Coal-fired Payra power plant in Patuakhali began test production on January 13, 2020.
The US $2 billion Payra project is a 50:50 joint venture between state-run North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh (NWPGCB) and China National
Machinery Import and Export Corporation. "We are getting reliable production scenario from April 7. Power Development Board asked us (BCPCL) to run it in full swing. We will able to complete all test by April 13 and announce the IOD," a senior engineer of BCPCL said.
 At present, the cost of generating a kilowatt-hour of electricity is $0.070 to $0.075. However, it would come down when the entire plant begins operation.
Khurshedul Alam said the second unit is also almost ready for production and will start to supply power to the national grid within four months. It would cost $200 million less than the first power plant.