Unique Meghnaghat Power Limited (UMPL) will build a 584 megawatts (MW) gas based power plant at Meghnaghat in Narayanganj to supply the electricity to national grid in next 36 months. To this end, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with UMPL at Bidyut Bhaban in the capital on Wednesday.
The consortium of Unique Hotel and Resorts Ltd, Guayama PR Holdings BV Ltd and Strategic Finance Ltd will set up the power under build-own-operate (BOO) method by US Company General Electric (GE). Under the deal, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will purchase electricity from the proposed plant at a cost of Tk 5.4478 per unit for a period of 22-years.
The consortium also proposed to supply electricity at Tk 3.16 per unit if the government supplies natural gas to the plant instead of costly LNG.State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said, “We are encouraging the private sector. Now the private sector is generating 50 percent of the electricity. We want to maintain this continuity in the future.”
“We are gradually coming out of the oil based power plant due to high prices. When the gas and coal based mega power plants will start generating electivity then we will be able to come out of liquid fuel powered power plants”, he added.Hamid also said, “Currently, 94 percent people are under electricity coverage. Our main goal is now to supply uninterrupted electricity to all by December next.”
Secretary of BPDB Saiful Islam Azad, Managing Director of Unique Group Chowdhury Nafees Sharafat, Joint secretary of power division Faizul Amin, Company Secretary of PGCB Mohammad Jahanggir Azad and Titas secretary Mahmudur Rob has signed the contract on behalf of their respective sides.
Among others US Ambassador in Dhaka Earl R Milar, Chief Coordinator of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the Prime Minister’s Office Abul Kalam Azad, Power Secretary Dr Ahmed Kaikaus, Energy Secretary M Rahmatul Munim, Petrobangla Chairmen Ruhul Amin, BPDB chairman Engineer Khaled Mahmood and NBR chairmen Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan were also spoke in the signing ceremony.
