S. Alam Group

{{#badges:CoalSwarm|Template:Navbar-BangladeshCoal}} S.Alam Group is a Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate. The company's website describes its scope as follows:

"For over 27 years, S. Alam Group has been committed to the self-reliance for company, community and country by its quality products and services reach out to the people of Bangladesh. Its products C.I Sheets, Color coated Iron sheet, Cement, Vegetable oil, C.R Coil, Soya Seed extraction, Public Transport, Gas Refueling Station, P.P Woven Bags, Shrimp Hatchery, Refined sugar, Agro farms, Natural gas, heavy oil, furnace oil and other based power generation plant, Real Estate, Hotels & Resorts, Import and Trading of commercial items, storage service of crude oils etc. play a key role in economic growth of Bangladesh, being import substitute, social responsibility growing and its development. S. Alam Group has a target investment and has concentration in specialized investment in large power projects under joint venture and / independent participation in economic structural development etc. The S. Alam Group enjoys a dominant position in all the fields in which it operates. The annual turnover of group is over BDT. 140.00 Billion (USD 2.00 Billion). Its fixed assets after commissioning the projects under implementation shall reach to BDT.198.61Billion (USD 2.84 Billion). The group employs about 7000 people. The group’s flagship all of the companies in Bangladesh are most popular, respected and admired. S. Alam Group also has investment in banking, leasing, Insurance, Stock Broker Houses, Merchant Banking business.</ref>

Existing coal plants

Currently, the company operates S. Alam Power Plant, rated at 6 megawatts (MW). The plants was built in 2005. On its website, the company states that it is planning an expansion unit under the name S. Alam Refined Sugar Industries Ltd. Unit-2. The second plant was expected to be completed in November 2011, but the website does not state whether the plan was actually implemented. According to the company's website, the second plant is located at the site of the company's sugar refinery in Chittagong.

Proposed coal plants

S. Alam is involved in the development of Chittagong power station (S Alam) . This is a 1320 MW facility in Chittagong. The project will be built by SEPCOII Electr Power Construction Corporation.

A second proposed coal plant, Bhola power station (S Alam), was announced in 2012 and 2013. As of April 2016, no subsequent reports have appeared on the 217 MW project, and it appears to have been shelved or abandoned.

Public opposition

April 2016: At least four protesters killed at plant demonstration

On April 4, 2016, four or five people were killed after police opened fire on villagers protesting against the power station. About 500 villagers had gathered in Gandamara to protest the potential displacement of thousands of villagers by the coal plant. According to local authorities, police claimed that the shootings occurred when protesters attacked them at a banned protest. The victims included a pair of brothers, according to district police chief Hafiz Akter. In addition to the four fatalities, dozens of protests were reported injured, as well as 11 policemen, one of whom was shot in the head. Witnesses put the death toll at five people and the number injured at 100. Witnesses estimated the the crowd at around 15,000 protesters. According to Dr. Saiful Islam of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, seven people, including four who were shot by live rounds, were brought to his clinic. According to protest leader Abu Ahmed, "Police opened fire as we brought out a procession against the power plants. They even chased the villagers to their homes." The protests occurred when S. Alam Group began purchasing land for the plants.

Personnel

• Mohammed Saiful Alam, Chairman and Managing Director

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Bangladesh and coal
• Proposed coal plants (international)