Spanish-S Korean consortium to build 383MW power plant

A Spanish-South Korean consortium will build a new 383 megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant project in Sylhet within the next three years.
State-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) inked the deal with the joint venture of Isolux Ingenieria SA of Spain and Samsung C & T Corporation of South Korea Monday to build the Bibiyana south power plant at a cost of Tk 25.08 billion (US$322.96 million).
The BPDB has appointed the JV firm as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.
The Board will arrange the money from its energy development and maintenance fund.
State Minister for the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) Nasrul Hamid was the chief guest at the deal-signing ceremony.
The country is currently passing through a transition period before emerging as a middle-income country by 2021 and developed country by 2041, the State Minister said.
"The countrymen need to be ready for a sort of sacrifice in this period," said Mr Hamid.
The government is keen to utilise the best technology to ensure best returns from the invested money, he said.
Isolux Ingenieria General Manager Jose Luis Dago Elorza and Samsung C & T Corporation General Manager Sung Ki Na  vowed to complete installation of the plant in time in a highly- skilled manner.
As per the contract signed Monday, the net capacity of the gas-fired combined cycle power plant will be 383.510 megawatt (MW) through a combination of simple cycle and combined cycle units.
The plant's simple cycle unit will have 252.264 MW capacity while the combined cycle unit will be of 131.246 MW capacity.
The EPC contractor will execute the simple cycle unit within 24 months of signing of the contract, meaning by December 14, 2016, while it will commission the combined cycle unit within 30 months, meaning by June, 2017.
The plant will be installed on 14.54 acres of land.
The power plant will consume 62.55 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) which will be supplied from the nearby Bibiyana gas field.
Electricity production cost in the project will be Tk 1.13 kilowatt per hour (kWh) considering the plant's efficiency at 53.37 per cent.
azizjst@yahoo.com