PM to inaugurate Payra Coal Power Plant on Monday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will formally inaugurate the 1,320 MW Payra Coal Power Plant on Monday, country's biggest and first ever super critical power project in Dhankhali area under Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district and will announce100 per cent electrification across the country to fulfill her election pledge.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping laid the foundation stone of the Payra plant on October 14 in 2016. Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) has built the plant on 982.77 acres of land at a cost of more than Tk 20,000 crore or US$2.46 billion. Of the
amount, $1.96 billion has been borrowed from the Export-Import Bank of China.
"It a milestone achievement as Bangladesh is the 13th country in the world to use ultra supercritical technology for this plant so far, on the other way electricity has been provided to Sonarampur, Ashuganj, Rangabali, Monpura, Sandwip, Hatia, Nijhum Island and Kutubdia Char through submarine cables. Now all chars and remote areas are under electricity coverage, we have successfully installed over 63 lakh solar home systems for the purpose and now we are going to launch such a coal power plant in the country as we are promise bound to taking care of the environment," State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told the daily Observer on Saturday.
"Earlier, the government had set a target of 100 per cent electrification across the country to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, we are ready to fulfill the promise on March 21," the State Minister said.
The Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) completed the construction work through many ups and downs and deferred its time schedule many times.
However, Bangladesh-China Power Company Ltd has successfully started commercial production of Unit-1 (622 MW) and Unit-2 (622 MW) of Payra 1,320 MW supercritical power plant. However, the country will not get the total amount right at the moment due to transmission constraint," said AM Khorshedul Alam, Chief Executive Officer of North West Power Generation Company said. The power plant's first unit has been commissioned in May 15 in 2020 after being constructed in four years and as per schedule the second unit started operation from December 8 in 2020.
To produce the capacity amount, Payra plant needs to burn some 13,000 tonnes of coal a day. The authority is importing coal from Indonesia.
 "An unprecedented success in the power sector has been achieved in the last thirteen years for the visionary, courageous and timely decision by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the Line Minister of the Power Division," Nasrul Hamid remarked. The power generation capacity has increased more than 5 times from 2009 (4,942 MW in January 2009, 25,514 MW till February 2022 including captive and renewable energy), which said that the per capita power generation has increased from 220 kWh to 560 kWh by this time and reduced distribution loses of electricity by 5.85 per cent, he said.
"We have provided 3.13 crore new customer connections," he said.