The much-talked-about Rampal coal-fired power plant, constructed by India's Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), may be inaugurated next month during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Delhi visit.
The Prime Minister is expected to visit Delhi in September.
"The inauguration of the power plant is on the wish-list," foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen said when asked about the inauguration of the 1,320-megawatt power station having two 660MW units.
The power plant project, built 14 kilometres away from the Sundarbans is being implemented by Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL) and one unit of the plant is almost ready.
Previously the Power Division planned to start trial run in September and to start commercial production in October.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India's NTPC signed the deal for implementing the Tk 160 billion Rampal Power Plant Project in 2010 followed by a string of protests from green activists, who feared that the project would cause severe damage to the ecology of the Sundarbans.
Meanwhile UNB report adds: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina together with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will jointly inaugurate the power plant.
Considered to be Bangladesh's largest power plant, it is a joint venture (50:50) between India's NTPC and Bangladesh Power Development Board. In another development, trial runs between Kolkata-Chattogram-Mongla ports for India Bangladesh trade will begin soon.
The first vessel from Kolkata is expected to reach Mongla, on Pashur River, on August 5 carrying 16 tonnes of iron pipes in a container with destination Meghalaya using the Tamabil-Dwaki border points and 8.50 tonnes of pre-foam in another container for Assam using the Birbirbazaar-Srimantpur border points. This exercise will create cheaper and alternative routes for India to reach its North-East region while at the same time carrying export-import containers for Bangladesh.
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