496MW more power to be added to national grid by June

The national power grid is likely to get 496-megawatt (MW) more electricity by June this year as six under construction power plants will be ready by this time for commercial generation, reports BSS.
As per the agreements with the government, installation work of the six power plants having a total generation capacity of 496-megawatt (MW) is scheduled to be completed by June 2014.
With the commissioning of these plants, the national grid will get additional 496MW power that will help the Power Development Board (PDB) ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity for the people, PDB sources said.
"We're hopeful that these six gas and oil fired power plants -one in public sector and five in private sector - will be ready for power generation by June this year," said Power Development Board (PDB) Chairman Md Abduhu Ruhullah Saturday. Talking to BSS, he said one plant is now on test run and almost 80-95 per cent work of five other plants have already been completed.
According to the PDB, up-gradation of Sirajganj 150MW Peaking Power Plant to 225MW will be completed by the current month.
Owned by North West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL), this gas-fired public sector plant will add 75MW to the national grid soon as the Chinese construction firm-China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation-will start test operation shortly.
In Chittagong, 50MW Power Plant of Barakatullah Electro Dynamics Ltd (BEDL), an oil-fired private sector power plant, is now on test run. BEDL, a private sector company set up by a group of Non-Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) investors, has installed the plant on a Build-Own-Operate (BOO) system at a cost of Tk 3,150 million at Patenga. The plant will soon start power generation commercially.
"Our power plant is fully ready to go for commercial operation any time . . . we're planning to supply power to the national grid by the end of this month," an official of BEDL told BSS.
Owned by Regent Energy and Power Limited, a private sector company, Ghorashal 108MW Power Plant is almost ready for power generation as 99 per cent work of the plant have so far been completed. This gas-run plant is expected to go for test operation soon.