China building B'desh's first eco-friendly thermal plant

A Chinese consortium has started the construction of Bangladesh's first eco-friendly thermal power plant with ultra modern clean coal technology in central Bangladesh.

The plant is being constructed near a sea port in Payra town in Patuakhali district of Bangladesh. It has two units - both of which are expected to be commissioned in April and October 2019 respectively, Xinhua reported.

In March 2016, Bangladesh signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with the consortium of two Chinese firms. The project will cost an estimated 1.56 billion US dollars.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid recently visited the plant construction site and expressed his deep satisfaction with the progress of the work.

Hamid said: "We're building this power plant with our government and Chinese assistance. We are satisfied with the progress achieved so far."

"You can see the quality of work. They are building a super-critical coal-fired power plant here. We do believe that we will get a cost-effective power plant here," added Hamid.

The project is a part of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's plan to set up a series of coal-fired power projects to generate 40,000 MW electricity in Bangladesh by 2030. It intends to achieve excellence in power generation and power growth of Bangladesh.