1,320MW coal power plant in Patuakhali to fire up in October

A 1,320-megawatt (MW) coal-based thermal power plant located in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali is ready to begin commercial operations by the end of this year, officials said.

The first of the plant's two units, which can generate 660 MWs daily, will commence production in October while the second will start in December.

This is the second 1,320 MW coal-based power plant in Kalapara upazila, with the Payra Thermal Power Plant situated nearby.

Norinco Intl Cooperation Ltd, a Chinese heavy construction company, and the state-owned Rural Power Company Limited built the plant under a joint venture called RPCL-Norinco Intl Power Limited (RNPL).

Costing Tk 27,000 crore, construction of the 950-acre plant began in August of 2019.

It is located on the banks of Ramnabad river, just two kilometres north of the Payra plant.

Project Director Taufiq Islam said all the ancillary work, including physical structure, is complete.

He also said a 20-kilometre double circuit transmission line has been established to connect the plant with the national grid using Payra plant's existing transmission line. Also, a switching station has been constructed in Amtali upazila of Barguna.

Ashraf Uddin, the plant's supervising engineer, said the plant can produce enough electricity for catering to 10 percent of the country's annual demand.

Currently, Bangladesh has a power generation capacity of around 27,000 MW and the peak-hour demand is around 17,000 MW, according to data of Bangladesh Power Development Board.

Of the total demand, coal-based power sources account for about 25 percent or 6,600 MW.

Shawkat Osman, the plant's executive engineer (mechanical), said instead of using solid coal, they will use powdered coal as it is more efficient and reduces the emission of harmful substances, such as carbon dioxide.

Against this backdrop, Shahriar Hasan, assistant engineer, said it is an ultra-modern power plant, where more electricity will be produced by burning less coal, thereby causing less environmental pollution.

According to sources at RPCL-Norinco, the plant features a fly ash silo, fuel-well pump, rain water reservoir, fire station service and fire-fighting water tank aside from usual elements such as a boiler, power house, turbine, generator, chimney and so on.

Construction of waste water storage basins, administrative building, engineering building, multipurpose hall, workshop and other infrastructures are complete, they said.

Also, the construction of a modern jetty with a conveyor belt for unloading imported coal to be used by the plant alongside the workers' dormitory, canteen and mosque are also complete.

Besides, the plant's main transformer has been installed, they added while informing that there are currently 5,979 people working on the project, comprising 972 foreigners and 5,007 Bangladeshis.