Gaibandha Ashuganj power station
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The Gaibandha Ashuganj power station, also known as the North Bengal power station, is a 1,320-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station proposed by Ashuganj Power Station Company for Rangpur division, Bangladesh.
Contents
Location
The undated satellite photo below shows the proposed location for the power station in Gaibandha district.
Background on
In October 2014 it was reported that state-owned Ashuganj Power Station Company planned to set up a 1,320MW coal-based power plant at the mouth of Barapukuria coal mine in Dinajpur. The plant is planned for the northern part of Barapukuria. Construction of the plant would require at least five years.[1][2]
On September 1, 2016, the Bangladesh government said it will set up a 1320 megawatts (MW) coal-fired power plant in the public sector on the bank of Jamuna River at Fulchari in Gaibandha. The proposed plant will use coal from Barapukuria coalmine. State-run Ashuganj Power Station Company Limited (APSCL) will implement and finance the mega plant.[3]
Shortly after, the Energy and Mineral Resources division secretary Nazimuddin Chowdhury announced, "We are giving up open-pit mining in Barapukuria." The decision came as a result of "high risk for open-pit mining given the potential vulnerability of the vast arable lands in the North Bengal that produces a large portion of the country's granaries," according to AKM Shamsuddin, a former official of state-owned Petrobangla. According to reports, the decision to abandon the open-pit option would hamper further power plant development, since underground mining also has feasibility problems.[4]
Despite the announcement, in May 2017 Ashuganj Power Station Company released a letter of interest for a 2 x 660 MW coal plant. This plant would be fueled by coal from Dinajpur district, and would be built "at the bank of the Jamuna river at Saghata and Fulchari Upzilla or any suitable location in Gaibandha district in Rangpur Division of Bangladesh." The coal would be delivered by a new rail line connecting the mine and plant.[5]
The 1320 MW Gaibandha project is also listed in the Bangladesh Master Plan, with a proposed commissioning of 2031.[6]
Beyond being listed in the Master Plan, there has been no developments on the project, and plans appear shelved.
Project Details
- Sponsor: Ashuganj Power Station Company
- Parent company:
- Location: Saghata and Fulchari Upzilla, Gaibandha district, Rangpur division, Bangladesh
- Coordinates: 25.297897, 89.593989 (approximate)
- Status: Shelved
- Gross Capacity: 1,320 MW (Units 1&2: 660 MW)
- Type:
- Projected in service: 2031
- Coal Type: Bituminous
- Coal Source: Domestic
- Source of financing:
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ Aminur Rahman Rasel, "Now 1,320MW coal power plant planned for Barapukuria," Dhaka Tribune, October 12, 2014
- ↑ "Govt to extract coal under open cut mining at Barapukuria," The Daily Observer, 6 January 2015
- ↑ "1320MW coal-fired plant to be set up in Gaibandha," Daily Sun, Sep 1, 2016
- ↑ "Government backtracks on open-pit mining in Barapukuria," Energy Bangla, September 23, 2016
- ↑ Request for Expression of Interest, Ashuganj Power Station Company, 13/05/2017
- ↑ 2016 Master Plan "Revisited", Bangladesh Power Division, Nov 2018
