The government has moved to build a 100MW skid-mounted, gas-fired power plant on the Bhola island to utilise the long-stranded natural and diversified energy sources to cope with the mounting energy demand across the country.
State-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) was set to float a tender soon to select a contractor for building the plant within the shortest possible time, BPDB Chairman Md Rezaul Karim told The Financial Express on Thursday.Bangladesh market analysis
He said the power plant would be fast-tracked to meet the growing electricity demand while reducing reliance on the costly imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Building the plant might take around six months after awarding the project to the bid winner, he said.
The electricity to be produced from the plant could be transmitted immediately through the existing power transmission lines, said the BPDB chairman.
BPDB was currently struggling to generate electricity from gas-fired plants due to a sharp fall in gas supply after the suspension of operations of one of the two floating LNG terminals on the Moheshkhali island in the Bay of Bengal, he said.
Electricity generation of around 2,000MW was being affected due to the shutdown of operations of a floating, storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU), he said.
Skid-mounted power plants are a modern solution for power generation, offering several advantages over traditional on-site construction methods.Financial planning tools
Such plants are pre-engineered, factory-assembled, and performance-tested, allowing faster project delivery and reduced construction risks.
They are designed to integrate all critical process equipment within a compact steel skid, ensuring high-quality, energy-efficient performance from day one.
The new plant, designed as a skid-mounted facility, will allow rapid installation and flexible operation compared to conventional power stations.
Besides, it is expected to create jobs, stimulate local industries, and improve electricity reliability in the region.
Located on the Bhola island, the project will directly tap into the area's significant gas reserves -- estimated at 1.5-2 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) -- that have remained underutilised due to the absence of a transmission pipeline connecting Bhola to the national grid.
Some 15 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas would be required to generate 100MW of electricity from the plant, said a senior official of state-run Petrobangla.E-paper access
Currently, some 42mmcfd of gas remained stranded in Bhola, which would increase to over 100mmcfd by December with the completion of works of some ongoing process plants, he said.
Sources say there are three active gas fields in Bhola with a total production capacity of around 200mmcfd, but production is limited to around 70mmcfd due to a dearth of consumers there.
Azizjst@yahoo.com