ECNEC okays project on the route for transporting heavy machines to the Rooppur nuclear power plant

FE Report

The government will carve a navigation route from maritime Mongla to Paksey on the Padma for transport of heavy-duty equipment for the Rooppur nuclear power plant under a Tk 9.56-billion project. This is one of eight projects the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) endorsed in its meeting Tuesday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting held at the Planning Commission office in the city. The eight projects’ aggregate cost is Tk 31.72 billion.

Emerging from the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told journalists that the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will ensure smooth navigation on the Mongla-Chandpur-Goalanda-Paksey route by investing Tk 9.56 billion.

“The river route will mainly be utilised to transport the imported heavy machinery and equipment for the Rooppur nuclear power plant. Since road will not be viable for the transportation of the machinery and other equipment, the river route will be helpful for the proposed nuclear power plant,” he said. Work is underway to set up a 2000-megawatt nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna with the financial and technical support of Russia.

The ECNEC Tuesday also approved ‘Bangladesh regional connectivity project-1’ involving Tk 6.93 billion for ensuring security of Bangladesh’s largest land-port at Benapole, and development of Shaola, Bhomra and Ramgarh land-ports.

Countries in the region are to use cross-border transport corridors through these land-ports under different regional-connectivity initiatives and deals.

Among the ECNEC-endorsed other projects are: Nabinagar-Shibpur-Radhika regional road construction and development project to be implemented at an estimated cost of Tk 3.43 billion, the Widening of Jamalpur-Dhanua Kamalpur-Kadamtala (Roumari) district highways (including Kamalpur land-port link) at Tk3.36 billion, and the Setting up of Sylhet Textile Engineering College at Tk 1.10 billion.

The rest of the projects approved Tuesday are Rajbari town-protection embankment project (2nd phase) involving Tk3.42 billion, Embankment protection on the left side of Jamuna river from Kawlibari bridge to Shakharia (Bharua-Batkhali) under Gopalpur and Bhuwanpur upazila of Tangail district at Tk 2.0 billion, and Harina Ferighat and Kantakhali bazaar of Charbhairabi area under Chandpur district town protection from the Meghna river erosion at Tk 1.91 billion.

The planning minister said the government will provide Tk 25.97 billion from the exchequer and the remaining Tk 5.93 billion will be funded from external resources for the eight development projects.

Ministers, Planning Commission members and high officials concerned were present at the ECNEC meeting.

Sources: thefinancialexpress-bd

Only three public sector coal-fired power plants are expected to be able to go into operation by 2021 while the private sector ones look to fall far behind their 2021-2022 schedule, reports UNB.

Officials at the Power Division said it will not be possible for the private sector power projects to maintain schedules as these private groups are facing difficulties in mobilising necessary funds for the projects.

The public sector plants are 1320 MW Rampal Coal-fired Power Plant, 1200 MW Matarbari Power Plant and 1300 MW Payra Power Plant.

Of the three projects, Rampal and Payra plants are being implemented under joint venture while state-run Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) is implementing the Matarbari project funded by Japanese donor agency JICA, said sources at the Power Division.

Rampal is a joint venture project of Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) and Indian National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) while Payra of state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL) and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC).

The government has already signed the final contracts for the Rampal and Payra projects, and the implementing companies have also appointed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors.

But, the EPC contractor for the Matarbari power plant is yet to be appointed.

Besides, the government has signed a number of contracts to implement some other coal-fired power plants under joint ventures with Chinese and Malaysian firms.

However, the final contracts have not yet been signed with them as the progress over the fund arrangement is very slow.

State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid expressed his confidence that the three projects will go into operation by 2022 given the way they are progressing and the country will get about 3900-4000 MW of power from these plants.

He said although Matarbari project’s EPC contractor has not been appointed yet, the implementing agency, CPGCBL, has been doing tremendous jobs, especially in creating supporting infrastructures, for the project.

Nasrul also said it has completed the contractor selection process and the concurrence of funding agency JICA was received recently for it. “Now, an EPC contractor will be appointed soon.”

He, however, expressed disappointment over the progress in implementation of private coal-fired power plants. “I’m not sure how many of them could come into operation as per the schedule as they are progressing very slowly,” he said.

The government has so far awarded contracts to a number of private sponsors to set up a good number of coal-fired power plants.

These include S Alam Group’s 217 MW Bhola Power Plant, 1320 MW Banshkhali Plant in Chittagong under joint venture with SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corporation, Orion Group’s 283 MW Chittagong Power Plant, 635 MW Gazaria Power Plant in Munshiganj and 660 MW Mawa Power Plant.