Chalna site for coal-fired plant
The joint technical team of Bangladesh and India selected Chalna, near Khulna port, an ideal site to install the proposed 1,310 mega watt coal fired power plant in joint venture between the two countries.
As per agreement of first steering committee for cooperation in power sector, the joint committee comprising with the officials of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and National Thermal Power Company (NTPC) visited Khulna last week and selected the site for the proposed plant.
"We will install the power plant at Chalna. However, it will be a two-unit power plant on equal equity basis", ASM Alamgir Kabir, chairman of BPDB, told BSS yesterday.
According to the official sources, the NTPC team has suggested the BPDB officials to engage local consultant to do the feasibility study on socio- environmental and ecological impact on coal fired power plant. It also suggested engaging consultant to workout on the plan of coal transportation.
"We do not have enough idea about coal handling, it would be a huge power plant and we need to import huge coal, depot it and to transport it. So, they suggested us to work on the issue", he said.
The PDB chairman said, the committee has started feasibility study and hopefully sign the joint venture agreement between BPDB and NTPC soon.
Earlier the committee selected two sites, Khulna and Chittagong. Finally, both the parties agreed to install a 1,320 MW plant in joint venture.
The committee also worked out on the grid inter-connection between India and Bangladesh as well as co-operation between NTPC and BPDB.
Bangladesh and India has signed a memorandum of understanding on exchange of power during the off-peak hours (17 hours a day) during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January last.
The power ministry sources said, NTPC offered to carry out technical assessment for BPDB's old thermal power stations to improve efficiency, do renovation and modernisation work.
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