The construction work of Ashuganj 400MW CCPP (combined cycle power plant)-east is going on full in swing. Around 11 percent construction work of the plant has so far been completed.
State owned Ashuganj Power Station Company Limited (APSCL) is constructing the power plant, which will start its generation between 2020 and 2021, an official of APSCL hopes.
Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd. is the largest power hub in the country. The present total power (electricity) generation capacity of its eight units is 1690 MW. The company want to enhance electricity generation to 3060 MW by 2025 and to 5927 MW by 2030.
An official of the APSCL said the 400MW combined cycle power plant will be run by gas. The project was approved in November 2015. Its power generation capacity is 420MW.
‘The foundation work of main building, GT (gas turbine), ST (steam turbine), generator and super structure of center control building, super structure of chemical laboratory building is now under construction. Earlier, HRSG including main stack & bypass stack, centre control building & condensate pit, unit of auxiliary transformer with fire wall, chemical laboratory building, and steel platform of main building & CW pipe structure work has already been done,’ an APSCL official said.
Total cost of the project is around $ 245 million. Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $107.92 million, Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will provide $85 million and rest $52 million will provided by Bangladesh government.
CNTIC-CCOEC Consortium (Consortium of China National Technical Import & Export Corporation and China Corporation for Overseas Economic Cooperation) is EPC contractor of the project. The EPC contract was signed in March 2018 and they started the construction work in July last year. The main equipment of the power plant is gas turbine and steam turbine, which will supplied by the German Company Siemens.
APSCL official expected that the simple cycle of the power plant will start its generation by December 2020 and the combined cycle will start power generation by June 2021. Ashuganj Power Station plays a significant role in national economic development by generating more than 8.76 percent of the total demand for electricity in the country. Water from the Meghna River is used through in-take channels for steam generation and cooling of the generated steam. Used water (for cooling) is again thrown into the Meghna River through discharge channels. It is known that about 36,000 acres of land of Ashuganj, Sarail & Brahmanbaria Upazilla is irrigated by this water.
