Commercial operation of second unit having 660 MW generation capacity of the country's largest coal-fired power plant at Payra will be conducted very soon as everything is ready, official said, reports BSS.
"Second time test to run the unit will be completed before Commercial Operation Date (COD)," Managing Director of North-West Power Generation Company Ltd (NWPGCL) A M Khurshedul Alam told the news agency Thursday.
He said everything is computerized of the power plant as there is no scope for manual operation, adding that the first trial run was conducted on September 26.
According to the project details, the first 660 MW unit of the power went into commercial operation in May 2020, utilising the 400 kV Payra-Gopalganj Power Transmission.
"We are expecting that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 660 MW second unit of Payra coal-fired power plant this month," Khurshedul Alam said.
Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), the owner of the Payra coal-fired power plant, has inked a contract with a Chinese consortium for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the 1,320MW coal-fired power plant near the Payra seaport in Patuakhali district on March 29, 2016, project sources said.
The BCPCL is now importing coal from Indonesia to run the coal fired power plant, and the first consignment of coal reached the country in September 20 last by a large ship from Indonesia, the source added.
According to project details, China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) is implementing the power plant project under a joint venture initiative between NWPGCL and BCPCL.
The consortium of the China Energy Engineering Group, the Northeast Electric Power Construction Co Ltd, and the China National Energy Engineering & Construction Co Ltd, is implementing the power plant project as the EPC contractor.
The NWPGCL is supplying 2,500 MW to the national grid, which would
be 3,100 after commercial operation of the second unit of the Payra plant.
Some 2,300 MW electricity generation capacity power plants were under construction of the NWPGCL, of which Khulna Power Plant having 800 MW generation capacity and 1,300 MW Payar power plant.
Chinese Export Import Bank is financing for construction of 1,320 MW Payra power plant project targeting to complete by 2023, Khurshedul Alam said.
