Power import from Adani plant delayed

Power import from the controversial Adani Godda power plant has been delayed once again as the 1,600 megawatts thermal plant is yet to be complete.

The first unit of the 1,600 megawatts coal-fired power plant located at India's Jharkand was supposed to start exporting power to Bangladesh from December 16.

"There is no chance of starting commercial operation at the Adani plant by tomorrow," Mohammad Hossain, director general of the power cell of the power ministry, told The Daily Star yesterday.

A new date will be announced soon.

Asked the reason for the delay, he said: "It is close to completion. But, as of now, we don't need that much electricity as the demand has already dropped for winter. The synchronisation of the power plant is going on. We hope it will come into operation when it is needed."

The $1.7 billion, 1,600-megawatt coal power plant situated 60 miles from the border is 92 percent complete, as per the latest monthly progress report of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB).

PDB is now expecting to import power from the commercial operation date in March next year.

As per the agreement signed in 2017, Adani Power would supply 1,496 MW of electricity for 25 years from December 2021.

Because of the pandemic, the Adani Group subsidiary pushed the start date by six months. The power plant was expected to start commercial operation in August.

The dedicated transmission line of the power plant, which stretches 105.90 kilometres (km) from the power plant to Bangladesh's border and 29.5 km from there to the national grid, was completed last August, it was said by the PDB earlier.