Govt navigating through the global crisis carefully: PM's Energy Adviser
The government is cautiously dealing with the fuel and food crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, said Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Prime Minister's Advisor on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
"Food and fuel prices are rising as production and supply are disrupted due to the war. The dollar crisis has further exacerbated the crisis. There will be no shortage of food and fuel after the war stops," he said yesterday after visiting SS Power One Limited in Chattogram's Banshkhali on Sunday.
He also said that there is no shortage of electricity compared to the demand in the country. The electricity capacity is now about 26,000 megawatts.
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"When the SS Power and Matarbari Coal Power begins the electricity production will reach around 29,000 megawatts and there will be no electricity shortage," he said.
The energy advisor said, SS Power is the largest privately owned power plant in the country, which is a huge milestone for the private sector as well as the S Alam Group.
Physical construction of the SS Power Plant has been completed. At present, the commissioning work of the power plant is going on. Once it begins commercial operation, the plant will be able to supply some 1,300 MW electricity to the national grid.
Abdus Samad Lavu, Vice Chairman of SS Alam Group and Director of SS Power One Limited, said that the two units of this coal-based power plant will produce 1,320 MW of electricity.
"The first unit will begin generating 660 MW from April. The second unit will start production in May. The second unit will add another 660MW from June," he added.
Some seven thousand people are currently working on this project. About 1,200 people will be employed after the implementation of the project.
The power plant has been built on 606 acres of land in the Gandamara union of Banshkhali since 2015. It will generate electricity in two units, each with a capacity of 660 MW. 198 power line poles have been installed for the transmission line from Banshkhali to Madunaghat in Chattogram to supply the electricity generated.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly inaugurated the power plant in 2016. The work of this power plant project is 97% completed. The remaining three percent includes construction of roads and drains – which is expected to be over soon.
The 1320MW power plant near the Bay of Bengal is one of the most significant joint ventures between Bangladesh and China, with the S Alam Group holding 70% of ownership. It is one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the country.
According to sources, the SS Power power plant will run on imported coal, most of which will be bought from Indonesia, but if necessary, coal will be imported from Australia. A large jetty has been built on the adjacent beach to unload coal.
The work of this power project started in 2015. Commercial production at the facility was scheduled to begin on November 16, 2019, but was later extended. According to the agreement, PDB will buy all the electricity generated at this plant for 25 years.
