National grid gets 789-MW more power Sunday

A total of 789-MW electricity is going to be added to the national grid as five new power plants are coming into operation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the five plants Sunday.

"With the new ones, the country's total number of power plants will reach 146 with a capacity to generate 22,031MW," said, Saiful Islam, a director (public relations) of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).

BPDB is the state-owned single buyer of bulk electricity that purchases power from both public and private power plants and allots to the distribution companies across the country.  

Of the five plants, three are owned by public companies and the rest by private companies. 

The public power plants are Bibiyana-III 400 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant in Habiganj, Modhumoti 100 MW Power Plant in Bagerhat and  upgradation of 150 MW Power Plant to 225 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant in Sylhet.

The private plants are Zulda 100 MW Power Plant Unit-2 in Chattogram owned by Acorn Infrastructure, and Meghnaghat 104 MW Power Plant in Narayanganj owned by Orion Group. 

The plants are already supplying electricity to the national transmission grid after test run, said Saiful Islam. 

However, quoting Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resource, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reports that the electricity generation capacity of the country has reached 25,235MW now (including captive power) which was 4,942MW in 2009.

"We have brought around 99.5% of the population under electricity coverage under the bold and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," BSS quoted Nasrul Hamid as saying.