Deals on 100MW rental power

Power Development Board (PDB) yesterday signed agreements with two quick rental power companies to purchase 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the national grid.
DPA Power Generation International Ltd, a newly formed company of the Bangladesh Army, will set up a 50MW diesel-run power plant at Pagla Army Camp in Narayanganj district within the next four months.
Sinha Power Generation Company Ltd, a concern of Sinha Group, will set up a 50MW furnace oil-based power plant near Amnura Railway Station in Chapainawabganj district.
Sinha Power will join the national grid within the next nine months.
The PDB will purchase power from DPA at Tk 13.96 per unit (kilowatt-hour) for the next three years, and from Sinha Power at Tk 7.77, according to the agreements.
DPA Power Generation International is a joint initiative of the Army-run Bangladesh Diesel Plant, Primordial Energy Ltd and Germany-based Aggretech AG.
Mamun Haider, executive director of Sinha Power Generation Company, Col Mohammad Ali, managing director of Bangladesh Diesel Plant, and Azizul Islam, secretary of the PDB, signed the agreements at PDB office in Dhaka.
Abul Kalam Azad, secretary to the Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, said the two companies will supply power to the national grid for the next three years.
He said the government has already completed agreement signing with different companies for purchasing 1,117MW of electricity under its 1,200MW power purchase plan from the quick rental power plants.
"At least 75MW of electricity has already been added in the national grid from the quick rental power plants. I hope another 100MW will come within August 15," he said.
PDB Chairman ASM Alamgir Kabir said the government had a plan to sign 13 agreements with different rental power companies.
"We have already signed 11 such agreements, and the rest will be complete within the next two to four days," he said.
Lt Gen Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, chairman of Bangladesh Diesel Plant Ltd, said the Pagla plant is the first of its kind for the army. "We will purchase modern equipment for setting up the plant," he said.