PM okays fundraising for dev of coal-fired power-plant areas

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved a proposal for depositing Tk 0.03 against each unit of electricity to be produced from the proposed coal-fired power plants to create a fund for development of the site areas which will face certain adversities.
“The premier has recently approved the summary of the proposal for creating a fund by depositing an amount from the price of the electricity to be generated by the proposed coal-fired power plants,” additional power secretary Md Mofezzal Hossain said.

He said the fund will be created from the bill for per-unit electricity used by bulk consumers for local development where a coal-fired power plant will be set up.

The power division is planning to introduce a provision of depositing three paisa against each unit of electricity from any new coal-fired power plant for creating the development fund.

BPDB, while purchasing electricity from any proposed plants for supply to bulk consumers, will pay the additional three paisa for each unit of electricity.

All the proposed coal-fired power plants of the power division will have the latest technology to check environmental hazards, Mofezzal Hossain said.

The money will be used for infrastructure development like construction of roads, schools, colleges and community centers in the areas where the power plants will be set up.

Local people might be involved with the proposed power projects and their ownership in the projects will be considered, Mofezzal Hossain said.

The power division’s proposal for creating the fund said it is necessary to take up development projects to reduce the public sufferings and mitigate environmental risks in the areas near the power plants.

The government has a plan to generate some 15,000MW electricity by using coal by 2030.

Then the coal-based power generation would stand at 53.17 percent from only 2.52 percent’ as of now.

A sum of Tk 15 million will be deposited annually with the social fund from a 100MW coal-fired power plant. It means that the fund will get Tk 2.50 billion per year after implementation of 15,000MW coal-based power plants.

The government has already signed an initial power-purchase agreement with Indian company NTPC. Besides, progress has been made in the move for signing three separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Chinese Hudian Hong Kong Corporation and Malaysia’s TNB.

At present, the country is experiencing 1000MW electricity shortage on average, according to Power Cell figure.

Green groups have expressed concern over environmental hazards due to implementation of the series of coal-fired power plants in the country.

https://www.energybangla.com/2012/10/27/2376.html#.UI1Ru7ExrNk