High-voltage electrical testing lab on cards
The lab would be used for testing, certification and calibration of 11 kilo volt (KV) and above electric equipment including transformers, current transformers, potential transformers, isolators, air circuit enclosures, breakers, and switchgears
- Laboratory to lessen dependency on foreign testing facilities
- Would help save Tk100cr initially
- Power cell has shortlisted four firms for feasibility study
- The World Bank to finance the feasibility study cost
The Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources is planning to set up the country's first high-voltage electrical testing laboratory to ensure the quality of electrical equipment.
The lab would be used for testing, certification and calibration of 11 kilo volt (KV) and above electric equipment including transformers, current transformers, potential transformers, isolators, air circuit enclosures, breakers, and switchgears.
The Power Division has already floated a tender to conduct a feasibility study to determine the cost, testing standards and formation of the facility.
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Once established, the laboratory would largely cut the transmission and distributional testing costs of electrical equipment testing, along with decreasing dependency on foreign labs.
Currently, it takes Tk25 lakh to test each 11KV transformer in India. For those above 11KV, it takes Tk50-60 lakh.
Doing so in Bangladesh, the cost would be reduced to more than half the current amount.
Humayun Rashid, director at Energypac, manufacturer of transformers, said, "To export Bangladeshi-made transformers, you need to do a third-party test. Those are done in India's Bangalore. A huge amount of money is spent on it.
"If Bangladesh can establish an internationally-accredited lab, Tk100 crore could be saved annually," he said.
In the long run, he estimates that the savings could amount to $10 million in the long run.
Sources at the Power Division said that the tremendous growth in the power sector requires hundreds and thousands of power and distribution transformers with associated switchgears, electrical apparatus/equipment and line items.
But Bangladesh does not have any accredited electrical testing laboratory (Low, Medium or High Voltage) for third-party testing and certification.
In absence of this, entities concerned have to rely on certificates of foreign electrical testing labs, which takes a strain on foreign currency reserves.
"To lessen the dependency on foreign testing laboratories, Bangladesh needs to establish an accredited high voltage electrical testing laboratory to provide world-class testing, inspection and certification services to the power sector," said Md Habibur Rahman, secretary at the Power Division.
Therefore, the government has decided to set up such a facility similar to the Netherlands' KEMA and India's Central Power Research Institute.
As part of the initiative, the Power Cell, the policy research wing of the power ministry, was asked to conduct a feasibility study, funded by the World Bank, on establishing the laboratory
Last November, the Power Cell floated an international tender from international bidders in this regard.
Eight local and foreign firms participated in the bidding round, from which four have been shortlisted, said Mohammad Hossain, director general at the Power Cell.
"Now we will ask them to submit a detailed proposal for the feasibility study. The study will be conducted within six months of the firm selection," he said.
Mohammad Hossain said that the project will be implemented under the "TA for Strengthening and Development of Sustainable Power Sector in Bangladesh", which will also be financed by the World Bank.
