Indian co likely to get one-year extension

ReGen Powertech, an Indian company which was awarded contract for conducting wind mapping across the coastal area of Bangladesh to assess wind power potential, is likely to get one year extension for the job, reports UNB.
A Power Division source said the company was appointed in 2012 for a two-year term to conduct wind mapping through installing wind towers in five places in the country's coastal and river bank areas.
But so far, the company was able to complete the data collection of only two spots -- Muhuri's Char in Feni and Magnama in Cox's Bazar districts.
Since the Indian company could not complete the job within the stipulated timeframe, they sought one-year extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Power Division.
Once the company's MoU is extended, it will start collecting data from the areas on wind power potential, said the official.
Official sources said a high level technical committee headed by an additional secretary recommended the extension of the Indian company's contract for another year to complete its job.
ReGen has been conducting the wind mapping job on its own cost. If the wind speed is found to have potential for wind power generation, then the company will set up a 15 MW wind-power plant on pilot basis from which the government will buy electricity at a negotiated price, said an official.
Director of the Power Cell Mohammad Abdur Rouf informed that the ReGen has submitted six months' data of its wind study to the Power Division of which Power Cell received three months data.
It is expected that the ReGen will soon submit its complete data of one year study to the Power Division, said the director of the Power Cell, a technical wing of the Power Division.
Officials said the ReGen's study gave an indication of 'moderately good prospect' for wind energy in the country.
They said the initial data found the speed of wind in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar as good, blowing at a speed between 4 and 5 metre per second against the minimum requirement of continuous speed of 2 metre per second.
The speed is found from the 85-metre high towers installed as part the feasibility study for wind mapping.
The officials said more improved turbines and other machineries are made available in the world market to utilise the low prospect of wind power.