1200mw coal-fired power plant approved

The government approved Tuesday Bangladesh's largest development project under which a gigantic1200-megawatt supercritical coal-fired power plant will be set up at Matarbari coast at a cost of Tk 359.84 billion.
With Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in a meeting at the Planning Commission in Dhaka gave the all-clear to the project.
The ECNEC also approved four other projects involving Tk 13.55 billion.
After the meeting was over, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told journalists that the ECNEC endorsed country's largest project-Matarbari 1200mw power-generation unit--where Japan government would provide major portion of funds.
"The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would lend Tk 289.39 billion while the rest of the total Tk 359.84-billion costs will come from government's own resources," he said.
The state-owned Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) will install the 1200MW plant along with a small deep-sea port for unloading the imported coal to be used to run the proposed plant.
A coal silo, ash-disposal area, Matarbari-Anwara 61.5-kilometre 400-kilovolt transmission line and an access road are also in the package.
The Matarbari site at Maheshkhali island on the bay of Bengal will be developed as a special energy hub by developing township and other facilities, Power Division officials said.
It will be one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the country after the existing 250MW Barapukuria plant in the northern district of Dinajpur.
The ECNEC-approved four other projects are: Upgradation of livelihood and flood management in the haor region of the country at Tk 2.83 billion, the setting up of Jessore Software Technology Park (1st revised) at Tk 2.40 billion, Guchhagram climate victims rehabilitation project at Tk 1.87 billion, and the expansion of BITAC's activities through technical training to women and creating their self-employment project at Tk 473.3 million.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and other ministers and high officials concerned were present at the ECNEC meeting.