Ecnec approves power project to benefit rural people

The government has taken up a new project involving Tk 6,915 crore to provide electricity to 15 lakh rural people.  

The targeted customers will get power from the state-run Rural Electrification Board or REB as part of the project which is expected to be complete by 2018.

The government-funded project was approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in Dhaka yesterday.

The government is now providing electricity to 1.37 crore clients through REB, as part of its effort to ensure electricity for all by 2021.

Ecnec also gave a go-ahead to four more power-related projects.

One of them is the fourth unit of the re-powering project of Ghorashal in Narshingdi at a cost of Tk 2,029 crore with the World Bank providing Tk 1,686 crore. The project is expected to finish by June 2019.

Re-powering is the process of replacing older power stations with newer ones that either have greater capacity or more efficiency, which boosts power generation.

The steam turbine of the fourth unit was set up in 1989 when its power generation capacity was 210MW. But over the years, the generation capacity has come down to 180MW, as the fourth unit is now at the end of its life cycle.

This prompted the government to take up the re-powering project. Under the plan, 70 percent of new machineries will be installed and the steam plant would be turned into a combined cycle power plant.

The government will also spend Tk 746 crore for land acquisition and to conduct a feasibility study on the Bangladesh-Singapore 700MW coal-based power plant in Matarbari, Cox's Bazar.

Another Tk 515 crore will be spent on land acquisition, rehabilitation, environment impact assessment and feasibility study for the 1,200MW coal-based power plant in Pekua, Cox's Bazar.

The infrastructure of Dhaka South City Corporation will also be developed at an estimated cost of Tk 1,292 crore.

Under another project involving Tk 666 crore, Chhatak Cement Company Ltd will be modernised so it can produce 1,500 tonnes of clinker, a raw material for cement.

Once modernised, the factory will produce 500 tonnes of cement, rising from 200-300 tonnes now, and will also sell 1,000 tonnes of excess clinker to private companies. 

In total, Ecnec approved 16 projects involving Tk 16,887 crore yesterday. Of the amount, Bangladesh will provide Tk 14,041 crore, development partners will provide Tk 2,250 crore and the rest will come from the implementing agencies.