bd EnergY LinK

Aminul Islam

The government will in a month begin the tender process for the installation of a 100MW-200MW wind-based independent power plant, according to an inter-ministerial decision made on Sunday.
Power Development Board officials at the meeting, chaired by the state minister for power and energy, Enamul Haque, made a presentation on the establishment of wind turbines in the Bay of Bengal to generate 100MW–200MW of electricity.
This will be the first large wind-based power plant in Bangladesh. The power board earlier made two unsuccessful attempts at running two 1MW power plants in Feni and Cox’s Bazar.
The board officials told the meeting wind turbine could be installed in offshore areas — about 50 metres off the coast — at Anwara, Banshkhali or Kutubdia to generate electricity.
They said the average wind speed in the areas identified was 6.5 metres a second above 50 metres from the ground whereas the latest wind turbine can generate electricity at the wind speed of 4.5 metres a second.
‘We will go for a pre-qualification tender for the installation of a 100MW–200MW wind-based power plant in a month if the government gives approval,’ the power board chairman, ASM Alamgir Kabir, told New Age after the meeting.
He said the plant would be installed as an independent power plant, from where the board would buy electricity.
PDB officials said the price of electricity of the ‘environment-friendly’ plant could be higher because of higher installation cost.
‘The installation cost of 1MW will be around $2 million whereas a conventional gas-based unit costs below $1million for installation,’ an official said.
He said there was a risk that the turbine might be affected in cyclones. ‘Additional care will be needed to protect the turbine during cyclones.’
The inter-ministry meeting also decided to install four 1MW wind-based power plants at Swandwip, Hatia and Kutubdia.
Officials of the defence and civil aviation ministries, Meteorological Department and the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation were present.