Secretary of Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Md Habibur Rahman today said Rampal Power Plant will go into production very soon.  “All preparations have been completed of Rampal Power Plant. Officers, Engineers, and Employees are working tirelessly to go into power production,” he said while visiting the Rampal Power Plant in Bagerhat district. The power secretary said amid Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, construction of the Power Plant did not stop and it was done smoothly as the fast truck project of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as a symbol of Bangladesh-India friendship.  Power Development Board is working tirelessly following the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to ensure hundred percent electricity supplies of all remote areas across the country, he remarked.  Earlier, the secretary visited the development works of different departments of the power plant and joined an evaluation meeting.  Besides, he planted a flower (Bakul) tree at the power plant and handed over wheelchairs among physically-challenged people as part of the social activities of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Private Limited (BIFPCL) as the chief guest.  Managing Director (MD) of BIFPCL engineer Kazi Absar Uddin chaired the distribution event while additional secretary of Power Department Mohsin Chowdhury, additional secretary ATM Mostofa Kamal and PDB chairman Md Belayet Hossain, among others, were present. Source: BSS AH

Bangladesh and Indian officials on Wednesday said they expect to commission the first unit of joint-venture 1320 mw Rampal Power Plant in December this year as scheduled overcoming the COVID-19 hurdles. "We expect the first unit of the plant to go on operation in December this year as per schedule . . . we are confident to meet the timeline," a Bangladesh power division official told BSS, a day after power secretaries of the two countries held a meeting on virtual platform. He said the first unit was designed to produce 660 mw power while December 2021 was set to launch it coinciding with golden jubilee celebrations of Bangladesh's 1971 independence with crucial Indian support. His comments came a day after Bangladesh's power secretary Md Habibur Rahman held an online meeting with his counterpart Alok Kumar on 1320MW Maitree Power project while the cross-country conference was joined concerned ministries and agencies of the two countries. India's power ministry later in a statement said the two officials discussed and identified some "certain critical issues" for addressing to timely commissioning of the coal-fired thermal plant, called to be a ultra-super one in terms of technology and efficiency to protect environment. Indian experts are constructing the plant in Bangladesh under a power sharing agreement between Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL). “We are providing necessary support for completion of the project in time,” Bangladesh's power division official said. The Indian statement said the second unit of the plant was expected to be commissioned matching with the implementation of associated transmission system. "Since March 2020, the COVID situation exposed the people of both the countries to a new challenge along with affecting the implementation of the Maitree project. Now the both sides are putting the best effort to complete the project in time," it read. Source: BSS AH