Adds 92.4 MW to nat'l grid
Rampal Moitree Power Project unit-1 has successfully completed test run on Monday evening through adding 92.4 MW to the national grid.
"Unit -1 is synchronized successfully on Monday evening, providing 92.4 MW of electricity into the national grid. This plant will go into in full operation in December and is expected to launch commercial operation in March next year," said Anwarul Azim, Deputy General Manager of Rampal Power Plant.
However, diesel has been used to run the coal-fired power plant, for the month-long test run, the BIFPCL will import three lakh tonnes of coal from Indonesia. They have not disclosed the price of the coal.
The power plant would have to wait for one year to start full operation if the power evacuating transmission line across the Padma river is not ready, Power Division official said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Ltd (BIFPCL) plans to generate electricity as soon as possible, the Indian media said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will jointly inaugurate the plant next month during Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi.
The 230 KV back-feed power line is yet to be commissioned, we hope that it
will be completed by this month, BIFPCL authority said.
Spread over 1,834 acres of land, the power plant is situated 14 kilometres north of the Bangladesh part of the Sundarban, also a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) world heritage site. The work on the project began in 2010 with acquisition of land and the construction started in 2012.
Power Division official said the first shipment of fuel for the coal-powered Rampal Power Plant in Khulna has arrived from Indonesia last month to pave the way for electricity production from October, officials earlier said. About 18,650 tonnes of coal were ferried to the terminal of the power plant to complete the test run.
Although the PGCB claimed that their system is ready to evacuate the electricity from the 1st unit of the Rampal power plant to Khulna, sources at the Bangladesh Power Development Board said Khulna does not need 660 MW electricity as a power plant already exists there. And if the government plans to take this power they have to stop the Khulna power plant.
According to the BIFPCL around 86 per cent of the construction work of the first unit of the Rampal coal power plant has been completed and the total progress of the project including the second unit is around 70 per cent.
"The plant has also completed the boiler pressure parts, boiler drainable hydro test and air tightness test, coal bunker erection, flue gas desulphurization (FGD) absorber tower structure works, cooling tower and chimney shell concreting plant jetty etc," the MD said.
"Now, around 5,000 employees including 1,831 Indians are working at the plant site to conduct test operation," according to Azim.
He said the plant would require to employ additional 7,500 workers and officials to make the test operation possible within December 16.
"I have already asked BHEL about the need to engage additional manpower if we want to implement the project on time," he said.
The officials said the Covid-19 crisis posed enormous challenges since March 2020 making it difficult to implement of the Moitree project on time.
The power secretaries of both the governments agreed to commission the unit-2 matching with the implementation of the associated power transmission systems.
The BIFPCL is constructing the 1,320 MW Rampal plant, a joint venture of India's NTPC Ltd and the Bangladesh Power Development Board, at a cost of US$2 billion under the credit of Indian Letter of Credit (LoC).
