Move to Repair 26 Bangladesh Power Units

The government has moved to renovate 26 units of 15 old power plants in a frantic effort to feed more power

against an increasing demand nearly three and a half years after taking office.

Chairman of Power Development Board, A S M Alamgir Kabir, says they hope to produce around 1,609 megawatts from

these plants if things go according to plan.

Experts say had the government earlier initiated repairs of these up to 25-year-old plants, the ongoing power

crisis could have been less.

The PDB chief said they are going for the repairs as the power supply has improved. According to him, the

mending of one unit is underway and of the rest will begin in September this year and will end by December

2014.

Among the gas-fueled power plants, four units of gas-based Ghorashal steam turbine, three units of Haripur gas

turbine, one unit of Chittagong (Raujan) steam turbine, one unit of Shikalbaha steam turbine, three units of

Fenchuganj combined cycle gas turbines, one unit of Sylhet gas turbine and one of Baghabari gas turbine will be

repaired.

Among furnace oil-based power stations, two units of Khulna steam turbine and two of diesel-run Barisal gas

turbine, three of Bheramara gas turbine, one of Rangpur gas turbine and another one of Syedpur gas turbine will

be refurbished.

Apart from them, three units of the Karnafuli power plant will be mended. Energy expert Prof M Shamsul Alam, a

teacher at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, told bdnews24.com: "The government was advised

to repair these plants soon after it came to power. But, they were busy [setting up] rental, quick rental and

new power plants."

"This is the proof that this sector is being handled with wrong plans," he said. He believes power crisis would

have been eased by now had the repair work of one or two of these units started then. However, according to the

account given by Enamul Huq Khan, the State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, in Parliament on

Sunday at present the daily power shortage was 1,000MW which is 1,000MW less than the previous year.

Energy expert Prof Ezaz Hossain, who teaches at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said

in order to improve the power situation the old stations had to be repaired along with regular maintenance of

the ones running.
He told the news agency that many of the existing power stations are losing their capacity for the lack of

regular maintenance and inspection.

According to the information presented to Parliament, the daily demand of power stand at 6,600 MW against a

daily production of up to 5,600 MW.

https://www.energybangla.com/2012/06/21/2218.html#.T-RxIpGebiQ