State-owned Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL) is going to set up a 420MW dual fuel combined cycle power plant at Shumvoganj of Mymensingh district. To this end, land development work has already been completed. It is expected that the power plant will start its generation by 2023, a RPCL high official said.
According to RPCL, Harbine Electric International Company Ltd of China will build the power plant as EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractor, which will run by gas and HSD (High Speed Diesel). Initially the electricity tariff has fixed up at taka 2.30 per unit for gas and taka 14.40 per unit when it will run by diesel. However, the tariff will be change in accordance to the fuel price.
Md. Salim Bhuiyan, Executive Director (Engineering) told Bangladesh Post “We have already acquired 38 acres of land. Out of these 16.5 acres will be needed for the power plant and there is an option to set up another 420MW power plant in rest of the land. The land development work of the upcoming power plant has already been done.”
“We expect that the financial closing of the project will be completed within next May. Then the main construction work of the plant will be started. Hopefully, the power plant will start its commercial operation by end of 2023. Once completed, the power plant will meet electricity demand till 2025 in six districts of Mymensingh area,” he added.
According to Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the electricity demand of Mymensingh zone is more than 600MW. However, currently there are six power plants. Of these RPCL have a power plant with the capacity of 210MW in Mymensingh and it is the largest plant in the area. BPDB has also a 3MW solar power plant in Sarishabari of Jamalpur district. The other power plants are Jamalpur 95MW (Powerpac), Tangail 22 MW (Doreen), Jamalpur 115 MW (United) Mymenshingh 200 MW (United). The government is now purchasing from the four private power plants to meet the electricity demand.
State-owned Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL) will build 20-inch diameter pipe line with 60 kilometers of length from Dhanua to Mymensingh to gas supply of the power plant. The gas pressure of the pipe line will be 1,000 PSI.
RPCL will provide $85 million for the new gas pipe line. However, the estimated cost of the power plant is around $190 million and about $10 million for land development work. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) of Singapore will provide the money as a soft loan.
