Govt set to invite tenders for 2 large power plants
The government is set to invite international tenders for setting up two large power plants, each having 450MW capacity, in the private sector.
According to official sources, the tender for 450MW Sirajganj combined cycle plant will be floated this week while that for 450MW Meghnaghat phase-III plant will be invited next week.
Power Cell, the Power Ministry's reform implementing wing, will invite the tenders for both the plants. Earlier, the Power Cell invited tender for another large plant -- 450 MW Bibiyana power plant project.
The previous BNP-led alliance government took up the three base-load projects in a move to resolve the country's nagging power crisis.
But the present caretaker government that inherited the power crisis moved fast to expedite the tender invitation process.
A Power Ministry official told UNB that initially the Power Cell would invite interested international bidders to participate in the pre-qualification (PQ) process.
On completion of the PQ process, the final tender will be floated asking the responsive and qualified bidders to submit the financial and technical offers for the projects.
Under the project, the private firms will be allowed to set up the power plants on build-own-operate (BOO) basis and the government will purchase electricity from the projects.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has promised to finance the private sponsor to install the Sirajganj and Meghnaghat-III plants while the World Bank is keen to finance the Bibiyana project.
Industry insiders said that such big projects need more than three years' time for implementation after tendering.
“Even if the projects are given special care, those are unlikely to come into operation before 2010,” said an executive of a private power company.
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