Alternative methods cheaper than Rampal
Bapa says in 13 papers submited to govt
The coal-fired Rampal power plant will not be profitable for the country because there are alternative ways of generating electricity at a cheaper cost, said Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) after submitting a proposal and relevant documents to the government.
Talking to journalists at the Power Division office after submitting the documents yesterday, Bapa leaders said there were 13 papers on how the government could produce electricity through environment-friendly and less expensive methods.
A team of the National Committee for Saving the Sundarbans, led by Bapa vice president Syed Abul Maksud, handed over the papers to Mohammad Hossain, director general of the Power Division's Power Cell.
Member secretary of National Committee for Saving the Sundarbans Abdul Matin said 11 of the papers were scientific assessment of the Rampal plant, one was a financial analysis, and the other was a proposal on electricity generation without the use of coal and nuclear power. All the papers are prepared by international experts, except for one authored by a local expert, he said, adding they submitted the documents because the government had asked for those.
“We've given three months' time to the government to study the papers. If they find anything wrong, they will mark those and discuss those with us,” he said. If necessary, the foreign experts will be brought to the country for discussions, he added.
Talking to The Daily Star over the phone, the Power Cell's DG, Mohmmad Hossain, said they received the papers and would go through them; if they found anything positive, they would pick it. If necessary, there will be discussion with Bapa, he added. “We asked to see the documents on their studies earlier because we are implementing the project based on research,” the DG said.
Syed Abul Maksud said they wanted to hold dialogues with the government; that was why they compiled the analyses of different experts and submitted those. The papers explain how the plant might cause harm and what socio-economic damage might occur, he added.
The 1,320MW power plant is being constructed in Bagerhat's Rampal upazila, which is very close to the country's heritage site, the Sundarbans. Environmental activists think the plant would cause irreversible damage to the mangrove forest because it is ecologically sensitive.