Equipment test-run at Payra power plant to start soon

July 10, 2019 00:00:00

Pre-commissioning test of the equipment of the under-conduction 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant is scheduled to begin within a day or two, reports UNB.

Officials of the plant said the project will put another step towards commercial commissioning of its first unit having 660 MW capacity in December this year.

The North-West Power Generation Company from Bangladesh and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation are jointly implementing the project through a joint venture company -- Bangladesh China Power Company Ltd (BCPCL).

BCPCL Project Director of Payra Power Plant Shah Abdul Maula said the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd (PGCB) will hook up with a 132kV transmission line to connect the power plant's newly-built substation.

"We hope, once we get adequate electricity through this line, we'll be able to test our equipment installed at the plant before its commissioning," he told UNB.

PGCB Executive Director (planning and development) Yeakub Elahi Chowdhury also informed UNB that they are working to ensure connecting the new power transmission facility to the power plant.

"We hope, BCPCL will get 40-45 MW electricity to conduct test-run of their equipment," he said.

In June, the BCPCL signed a contract with an Indonesian firm to import the coal from the Southeast Asian country for 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant.

During the contract signing ceremony, BCPCL officials said the plant's first unit will start generating power in December 2019 and the second unit in June 2020.

Ultra-supercritical technology is being used in the power plant which will be environmentally-friendly.

About 40 lakh tonnes of coal will be required per annum to run the plant. Oldendorff Carriers GmbH & KG of Germany has been assigned to transport the coal.

According to the contract, PT Bayan Resources will supply the coal for the first unit so that it can start power generation from December next.

The plant will use sub-bituminous coal, whose calorific value is 4700-5500 Kcal.