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| Construction work going on for Barisal Coal Power Plant. Photo: Barta24.com |
But the Barisal coal fired power station which is being built by Barisal Power Company presented a different picture. The company signed the contract with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) in 2017. Within a short time they have almost completed the land development work.
Engineer Anowar Hossain informed that about 150 acres of land will be required for the power station. But we are progressing keeping the idea of second phase. It means that to build the second unit another 250 acres of land will be required. We have completed land filling work of 2 hundred acres. The land required for the first unit is now fully developed.
Overall we have completed 70 percent of the land filling work of the two units. We are going to start the construction of civil work including the dormitory building. Anowar Hossain informed that simultaneously work of the main power plant will begin.
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| Land filling at Barisal Coal Power Plant. Photo: Barta24.com |
The complex matter of Bangladesh’s development work is land acquisition and rehabilitation of the affected people. Though such problem existed elsewhere but it was not so much problematic here. Only 132 shelterless families lived here temporarily. They have been given land after purchasing those on behalf of the company. They are now living with satisfaction to a place half a kilometer away from the project site including Ayub Ali.
While visiting the site it was found that hundreds of machineries are running without any recess. Excavators are cutting earth and dressing the land. Heavy goods are being shifted with the help of cranes. Bulldozers are leveling the land while rollers are compacting earth. To ensure compaction water is being dried up buy using hammer. On the West side temporary sheds have been built up by the side of river Payra.
The project is being implemented jointly by ‘Power China Resource Limited’ of China and ‘ISO Tech Electrification Company limited’, an associate of ISO Tech group of Bangladesh.
The project cost has been estimated at Taka 4500 crore (540 million US dollar). According to agreement Vendor will supply electricity to government for 25 years. The price of each unit of electricity has been fixed at Taka 6.77 ( according to the rate of each ton coal at 120 dollars). If the coal price comes down then the price of electricity will also go down.
Managing Director (MD) of ISO Tech group Md. Moinul Alam said that according to the agreement with the government we will have to complete the construction of power plant within 45 months. Several organizations including Power ministry, Land ministry, Environment and Forest Ministry, BIWTA and local administration are directly cooperating with us. So we express are gratitude to them.
The MD said that local people are also helping us. If we don’t get the cooperation of all then we cannot complete the project within the stipulated time. We hope that taking the help of all we would be able to supply power in the national grid within a short time.
He said that our partner ‘Power China Limited’ is a globally reputed coal fired power station builder. They have built coal fired power stations in Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Cambodia and many in many other countries. They are now producing 30 thousand MW of electricity around the world.
In the power station the employment opportunities of 3500 people will be created. We have plans to set up school, college, hospital and different religious institutions in the project site keeping the necessity of the people of the locality.
Barisal Power Company informed that they would sink deep tube wells to ensure pure drinking water as there is dearth of sweet water in the area.
Deputy Commissioner of Barguna, Mostaine Billah told that the power station is the priority project of the government. I think that after completion of the project the economic picture of this area will be changed. We want that the project be implemented. The project people have assured us that they will not do such work which might affect the environment. We are also aware about it.