Barisal-Bhola power line put into operation

The long-awaited Barisal-Bhola 230kV power transmission line has finally gone into operation amid a high hope that it will help improve the electricity supply in the country's southwestern region, particularly the districts located in Barisal and Khulna divisions, reports UNB.
Project director of the Barisal-Bhola 230 kV transmission line Mrinal Kanti Paul said the 63-km long high voltage transmission line was officially made operational on June 18.
They believe that the new transmission line will facilitate electricity transmission from Bhola combined cycle power plant to the national grid.
"We're now drawing electricity from 225 MW Bola combined cycle power plant to give it to the national grid through the new transmission line," he said.
The main benefit of the new high capacity transmission line will go to the southwestern region. It will immensely increase the power supply to the country's Barisal and Khulna regions from the national grid which ultimately play a vital role in resolving power crisis in the region, said another PGCB official.
The Bhola combined cycle plant is now producing 140 MW of power in a simple cycle operation. The plant will go into full-swing generation of 225 MW in October next and the whole production will be put into the national grid through the new line.
PGCB Chief Engineer (P&D) Arun Kumar Saha said electricity was earlier supplied to Bhola through a 33kV transmission line from the national grid. But that line has been experiencing trouble frequently.
PGCB officials said about Tk 3.76 billion was spent to install the new transmission while a construction of a relevant 230/132 kV grid substation in Barisal cost Tk 1.13 billion.
Officials said the country's one of the largest island districts will be connected with the national power transmission system through the newly built line.
After meeting the local requirement, the extra production of the Bhola combined cycle plant will go to other districts of the Khulna and Barisal regions. The electricity demand of the Bhola district is now about 25 MW.
PGCB officials said the 230kV double circuit line even could be used to transmit up to 700 MW of electricity while the relevant grid substation's capacity is 540 MW.
The PGCB had to build a huge-height river-crossing tower to cross the transmission line over the Tetulia and Kalabadar rivers. Construction of this type of long-height tower is costly. Seven towers covering a 6-km area have been constructed to cross the two rivers. Each of the tower's height is about 430 feet.