Payra 1320 MW Coal-Fired Power Plant

[Dark Carnage]

Country’s biggest power plant starts commercial operation

With this, country’s power generation capacity reached to 19,630 megawatts

The commercial commissioning of the first unit of the country's largest coal-fired Payra Power Plant project in Patuakhali has officially started at 5.30pm Thursday.

Due to pandemic situation, the station started operation without any publicity. With this, country's power generation capacity reached to 19,630 megawatts (excluding captive power).

AM Khurshedul Alam, acting managing director of the Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), the project implementing company, confirmed it to the The Business Standard. 

The unit with 660 megawatts capacity came into the operation, when country is power saturated. 

Moreover, increased power generation capacity has now become a burden for the power sector as electricity demand reportedly dropped by 30 percent.

Therefore, the plant is likely to become an economic burden for Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) as it will need to pay about Tk 160 crore in capacity charge every month apart from the energy purchase cost.

The Payra power plant project, launched in March 2016 following a Bangladesh-China joint venture. 

Earlier, the BCPCL had a plan to go for the commissioning in the first week of February. 

The test run of the first phase of the Payra 1,320MW Thermal Power Plant project, delayed by a year, finally started on January 13 this year. 

However, the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus impeded the commercial commissioning of the country's largest coal-fired power plant project in Patuakhali.

The plant's two units are expected to generate 1,320MW power once the project is completed. 

[Rezwan12]

15 September, 2020 03:35:00 PM / LAST MODIFIED: 15 September, 2020 05:32:12 PM

Payra power plant’s 2nd unit expected to open in Oct

BSS, Dhaka

The second unit of the country’s largest coal-fired power plant at Payra in southern Bangladesh is expected to go for commercial operation in first week of October as its trial run already started, an official said.

“We are expecting that Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 660 MW second unit of Payra power plant in the first week of October,” Managing Director of North-West Power Generation Company Ltd (NWPGCL) A M Khurshedul Alam told BSS today.

He said the first 660 MW unit of the power plant started commercial operation in May last.

According to the project details, Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), the owner of the Payra coal-fired power plant, inked a contract with a Chinese consortium for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the 1,320MW coal-fired power plant near the Payra seaport in Patuakhali district on March 29, 2016.

It said China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) is implementing the power plant project, which is a joint venture initiative of NWPGCL and BCPCL. The BCPCL is now importing coal from Indonesia.

The consortium of the China Energy Engineering Group, the Northeast Electric Power Construction Co Ltd, and the China National Energy Engineering & Construction Co Ltd is implementing the power plant project as the EPC contractor, the details said.
Khurshedul Alam said currently the NWPGCL is supplying 25,00 MW to the national grid, which would be 3100 after commercial operation of the second unit of the Payra power plant.

Apart from this, two separate power plants with some 2,300 MW capacity are under construction including Khulna Power Plant with 800 MW and Payar power plant with 1300 MW, he said.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has given loan for 800 MW power plant in Khulna, being implemented by China as EPC contractor while Chinese Export Import Bank is financing for construction of 1300 MW Payra power plant project, he added.

Khulna Power Plant is expected to open in 2023 as the construction of the Payra power plant is hoped to complete in the same year, he continued.

 

http://www.theindependentbd.com/post/253286