2 new peaking power plants by Sept next
Two state-owned peaking power plants are being set up in Chittagong to add 200Megawatt (MW) electricity to the national grid by September next year to lessen power crisis.
The peaking power plants -- 100MW Hathazari Peaking Power Plant at Hathazari upazila and 100MW Dohazari Peaking Power Plant at Dohazari of Chandanish upazila -- are being set up at a cost of around Tk 1,880 crore from government fund.
Hathazari Plant is being set up near the Power Development Board (PDB) sub-station in Hathazari and the Dohazari plant near the PDB sub-station at Dohazari, sources at the Chittagong PDB said.
Piling for construction of the plants started in June this year while machineries for the plants are expected to arrive in April next year, said the Hathazari Plant Project Director (PD) Asadullah Mian.
Chinese company Guangdong is entrusted with setting up the plants while the machineries will be supplied by Wartsila Engine of Finland, he said.
“With dual facilities, the plants will be able to run with gas as well as with furnace oil when gas supply will not be available,” Asadullah said.
Contract for setting up the Hathazari plant at a cost of around Tk 908 crore was signed with the Chinese company on April 26 and the site for the plant was handed over on June 26.
“I hope the plants will go into generation by September next year,” Asadullah said.
Executive Engineer Bireshwar Saha of the Dohazari Plant said piling of the plant is going on in full swing to start generation by September next year.
The plant with dual fuel facilities is being set up by the Guangdong Power Engineering Company at a cost of around Tk 971 crore, he said.
Sources said the people in Chittagong are now experiencing a loadshedding of 230MW to 240MW during the peak hours at night.
On Wednesday, 210MW-capacity unit of Raozan Thermal Power Plant generated 80MW power while four 180MW-capacity units of Karnaphuli Hydro Power Station in Kaptai 145MW, 150MW-capacity Shikalbaha Peaking Power Plant 40MW, 55MW-capacity rental plant of Energies Power Corporation 40MW and 24-MW-capacity Regent Power 22MW.
Chittagong PDB Chief Engineer (Generation) Shibu Kumar Chowdhury said generation of 200MW power at the under-construction peaking power plants at Hathazari and Dohazari will surely help lessen the ongoing power crisis.
“Now the demand for power in Chittagong is around 700MW during the peak hours at night as its demand is increasing day by day,” Shubu said.
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