Second unit of Payra 1,320MW power plant resumes production

The second unit of Payra 1320 megawatts (MW) Thermal Power Plant resumed power generation on Monday after one and half year and both units produced 1,030 MW on the day, the record highest from a single power plant in the country.

The first unit of the plant started commercial operation on 15 May 2020 while the second unit came into commercial production on 8 December of the same year, before suspending power generation due to lack of power transmission infrastructure.

During the period, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) had to pay a penalty of Tk120 crore each month as capacity payment for keeping the unit idle.

The idle unit resumed operation on Monday after a transmission line from Gopalganj–Khulna–Jashore was newly constructed, said Engr AM Khurshedul Alam, managing director (in-charge) of Bangladesh China Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BCPCL), which owns the plant.

"As of Monday, electricity transmission from Payra power plant was limited to Patuakhali, Barisal and Gopalganj districts. Now the electricity is being transmitted to Khulna and Jashore as well," he added.

BCPCL, a joint venture of North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL) and China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC), developed the Payra 1320 MW Thermal Power Plant.

Electricity transmission from this plant could not be channelled to Dhaka yet due to an incomplete transmission line.

For transmitting electricity from the Payra power plant, the Power Division took up a project of 400kV Double circuit transmission lines from Patuakhali (Payra) to Gopalganj and Aminbazar (Dhaka) with a deadline of December 2020.

But Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) could not complete the line within the deadline due to difficulties in line building in the Padma River.

Therefore, power evaluation from Payra to Dhaka stays halted as neither side of the Padma river has been connected with a transmission line.

The tower construction work in the Padma river was given to Padma Bridge authorities but due to priority on Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, establishing the transmission line got delayed.

However, Padma Bridge authorities had recently started constructing the electric towers in the river.

"Construction work of the towers is in progress. Two out of seven towers have already been installed. Padma Bridge authorities assured us that the remaining five will be constructed by the middle of this year," Golam Kibria, managing director of Power Grid Company, told The Business Standard.

"However, electric cable connection with either side of the river will take another five-six months after the completion of the towers," he added.