Govt to acquire 931 acres land

The government is going to acquire 930.61 acres of land for the 1320  MW 'Super Thermal Power Plant' in Patuakhali with a cost of Tk 819.51 crore.

In the meantime, the Planning Commi-ssion has sent a proposal titled 'Land Acquisition, Land Development and Conservation'  to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for the approval from the Power Division of Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR), according to sources. However, the proposal may be placed at the next meeting of the ECNEC.

If approved, the state-owned Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd (APSCL) will implement the project from December this year to December 2019. About the project, Shamima Nargis, a member of the Department of Industrial and Energy said, "Through the project, the necessary infrastructure including land acquisition, land development and conservation will be created for Patuakhali 1,320 MW Super Thermal Power Plant." "If the project is implemented, the main power station will go further for implementing the construction activities," she said.

Sources said, the main activity of the project is 550.58 acres of land will be developed besides land acquisition, construction of land protection embankment on 11 km river bank, construction of 3 kilometer land conservation slab and rehabilitation center for 120 families of project area.

With the application of the fuel diversification plan, the APSCL will build two units of the 660 MW coal-based centers in the project area. On July 13, 2017, the APSCL has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the  China Energy Engineering Corporation Ltd, commonly known as Energy China, to set up a 1,320MW coal-based power plant in Patuakhali.

According to the project proposal, the process of forming Joint Venture Company between APSCL and China Energy Engineering Corporation Limited is in the progress. Earlier, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said "The prime objective of such projects is to bring electricity to every doorstep by 2021.

"Coal-based power plants are the key source of electricity at affordable prices. Emphasis has been given to energy diversification according to the objectives outlined in the Power System Master Plan 2016. By 2030, 30% of electricity will be produced from coal-based sources."

Sources said, several solar power projects including the establishment of solar parks are being implemented as the government has planned to set up more coal-fired power plants in an attempt to generate 20,000MW electricity by 2030.