DHAKA: State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid yesterday said the government is set to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) by April, 2018 to mitigate the growing energy demand in the country. “It is necessary to generate 2,000-MW more per year to fulfill the government’s target, as the power demand is increasing day by day,” he said while addressing a signing ceremony as the chief guest at Bidyut Bhaban in the city. The state minister said Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a contract with Nutan Bidyut Bangladesh Limited, a newly formed power company by Shapoorji-Pallongi Group of India, for procuring 220 megawatts (MW) electricity in the country. Nasrul said the power generation capacity reached to 15,775 MW and over 80 percent people were brought under electricity coverage. Secretary of BPDB Mina Masud-uz-Zaman and J Sinha Mahapatra, director of Nutan Bidyut Bangladesh Limited, signed the power purchase agreement (PPA) and implementation agreement (IA) on behalf of their respective sides, while Power Secretary Dr Ahmed Kaikaus and Chairman of BPDB Khaled Mahmud were present.
According to the deal, the power company would supply electricity to the national grid within December 2019 from the date of signing the agreement. The duel fuel power plant having 220 MW capacity of power generation will be set up at Bhola. The government would purchase power from the company at the rate of 3.98 cent per unit for natural gas generation and 16.96 cent for diesel production for 22 years.
