Govt to receive tenders again for Sirajganj power plant

The government is set to receive tenders for the fourth time for the long proposed Sirajganj 300-450 (mega watt) combined cycle power plant, reports UNB. Power Cell, a technical wing of the power ministry, will receive the tenders on March 21, the last date for submission of proposals, from private sponsors. Already four local and international bidders have lined up to vie for the project after passing the pre-qualifying round of the bid. They are Thailand's Suez-Tractebel SA, Indian Essar Power Limited, Chinese Beijing Jingneng Clean Energy Corporation Limited and Joint Venture of local Summit Industrial Mercantile Corporation, Chinese Shenzhen Nanshan Power Co. Ltd and Associates. The combined cycle power project was undertaken about 10 years ago by the BNP-led alliance government. Since then, tenders were invited for the project as much as four times. But the first three tenders were cancelled by the authorities for various reasons. Earlier, the government had a plan to implement the project as a gas-fired combined cycle power plant. But the gas crisis finally prompted the government to go for duel-fuel with gas when it is available and with liquid fuel when gas is not available. Official sources said that four bidders will submit their respective technical and financial offers under the "Request for Proposal (RFP) format". Relating to the design of the project, the qualified bidder will set up the power plant at Sirajganj and the state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) will purchase electricity from it for the next 22 years. After assuming office the Awami League government has taken a programme to set up a large number of power plants across the country. Some of them will be set up in public sector while others in private sector.