[ALOCHONA] Digital BD: power plants fail to start operation on schedule

Most of quick rental power plants fail to start operation on schedule; Additional power to irrigation remains a far cry

Almost all the 14 quick rental power plant (QRPP) projects, which were undertaken by the government on a fast-track basis to generate electricity to meet the current irrigation season's requirement, have failed to come into operation.

According to available statistics received from the officials of the state-owned Power Development Board (PDB), all the 14 private sector sponsored power plants were scheduled to start commercial operation in between March and April this year.

After assuming office in January 2009, the Awami League government adopted a massive plan in October of that year to set up power generation plants in next five years having total capacity of 7,000 MW.

So far, the government has signed contracts for 33 power plants in the public and private sectors. Among those, most are costly quick rental and rental power plants.

The private sector sponsors were given responsibility to install these plants from which the government will purchase electricity at a very high rate of between Tk 9.75 and Tk 22 per unit.

Among the plants, the rental, quick rental and peaking plants were undertaken on a fast-track basis to address the nagging power crisis.

But, on an average, the quick rental and rental power plant projects have achieved only 50-70 percent target in their installation works.

After such failure to achieve the target, the commercial operation date of these plants (COD) has now been revised by the government.

The QRPP projects were supposed to add about 1,000 MW of electricity to the national grid.

Officials expect that though some of the quick rental power plants might be able to come into operation in next couple of months, most of them will need 4-5 months more to start operation commercially as their progress of work is very poor.

These QRPP projects are Meghnaghat 100 MW, Khulna 115 MW, Meghnaghat 100 MW, Ghorasal 78.5 MW, Ashuganj 80 MW (gas-fired), Keraniganj 100 MW, Ashuganj 53 MW, Noapara 40 MW, Amnura 50 MW (Chapainawabganj), Juldha 100 MW, Siddhirganj 100 MW and Katakhali 50 MW.

Official sources said contracts for these plants were signed last year at different periods targeting this year's irrigation season as irrigation puts extra pressure on power supply.

"We face about 2000 MW extra load in power supply during the irrigation period as mostly irrigation pumps consume these loads. But, the failure has put an extra pressure to curtail electricity in the urban areas to ensure supply in rural areas for irrigation purpose," said a top official of PDB.

He, however, said though these QRPP projects have failed to come into operation, they (PDB) gained financially from such failure.

"Because, we've realized about Tk 100 crore as penalty as liquidity damage (LD) from these plants for their failure to start operation," the PDB official told UNB.

But he admitted that the PDB's main target is not realizing penalty from the failed operators. "Our target was to increase power generation… we could not achieve that," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Official sources said that apart from the QRPP, two other rental power plants (RPP), which were undertaken much before and supposed to come into operation in November last year, also remained in uncertainty about their possible start of operation. These plants are Noapara 105 MW and Barisal 50 MW.

Another plant - Ashuganj 50 MW - undertaken by Ashuganj Power Station Company, was also scheduled to come into operation in April 7 this year, but finally failed to do so.

Apart from the private sector rental and quick rental power plants, the PDB itself had undertaken 9 peaking power plants projects having total capacity of 720 MW.

These plants are scheduled to come into operation between August 2011 and March 2012. "But, so far progresses in some of these plants are not satisfactory," said another PDB official responsible for monitoring the progress of work.

He also said another two gas-based combined cycle power plants - 150 MW Sylhet and 150 MW Chandpur - are now under construction. These two plants are scheduled to start operation in February 2012. But supply of gas to the Sylhet plant is yet to be confirmed.

http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task-show/id-45792

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