Orion to build 3 power plants
The Power Development Board yesterday signed three sets of agreements with local Orion Power to set up three private coal-fired power plants in Khulna, Chittagong and Mawa totalling 1,200 megawatt capacity.
Salman Karim, director of Orion Power, told The Daily Star yesterday the company had signed Implementation Agreement and Power Purchase Agreement for the Khulna 300 MW, Chittagong 300 MW and Mawa 600 MW power projects.
“The Khulna and Chittagong projects will be commissioned within 36 months while the Mawa project within 45 months from signing of these agreements,” he added.
Salman also noted that Orion Power has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Electricity Generation Authority of Thailand International (Egati) as its investment partner.
Egati is the largest Thai power producer having the experience of generating 16,000 MW power.
As per the agreements, Orion Power has to build the plants on their own land and arrange its own coal supply.
The company has purchased 500-bigha land in Khulna and Mawa each and a 700-bigha plot of land in Chittagong for its projects.
It, however, proposed the government approve a merger between the two 300-MW projects--either in Chittagong or in Khulna--to make them viable.
The company has signed MoUs with two trading companies-- Swiss Glencore and Japanese Mitsui-- to ensure smooth supply of coal from Indonesia and Australia to their projects.
Once commissioned, Orion Power will sell electricity to the PDB at Tk 3.78 per kilowatt-hour in Khulna and Chittagong and Tk 4.30 per kilowatt-hour in Mawa.
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