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Installation works by Hyundai are in progress |
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September 19, 2000
Dhaka (UNB)- Gearing up steps for strict maintenance of existing power installations and computing more megawatts from private generators, the government is trying to minimize electricity crisis in the next summer. While visiting the foreign-owned Haripur power plant yesterday (Monday), State Minister for Energy re-aired government’s high hopes for taming power crisis by 2003 and having a 20 percent reserve margin by 2007. Prof Rafiqul Islam, however, said it is not possible at all to clear up all the messes overnight. “But overall power crisis is gradually being overcome,” he said, making the brief statement of the policies pursued and measures taken in last four years to put the power sector well in order. The State Minister yesterday went to the AES’s 360 MW Haripur Plant site near the capital to see the installation of a huge gas turbine, imported for the project from Japan. Site development and installation works by Korean construction company Hyundai are in progress on the bank of river Lakhya. Officials of the US power giant AES Corporation hoped the plant would be capable of generating 230 MW by May 2001 from simple cycle and adding another 130 MW by October next year. AES will also set up a 450-MW plant on the bank of river Meghna, 10 km off the Haripur site. Prof Islam requested the AES authority to try to add 230 MW by May 1 next year to help meet the power demand in the next peak season. He said the present government inherited power sector in total jeopardy with stalled generation and transmission systems. Four-year time is not enough to dress up all the wounds in the sector---removing generation shortfall, improving transmission lines and overhauling all age-old power plants and grid substations, he said. Shortly after assuming power, the present government took up visionary steps to improve generation, transmission and distribution systems. Policy has been reformed allowing private sector to participate in power generation. Additional power coming from private barge-mounted plants helped the government ensure uninterrupted irrigation and smooth supply of fertiliser, resulting in bumper crops, the minister said. Policy is underway to encourage small generation units of 1 or 2 MW to meet local demands, he informed. Referring to the September 13 major power disruption caused by failure in National Grid, the minister said gross negligence of the people responsible for maintenance led to the problem. “There are people to look after every single post, there are linemen and others…Even then such thing happened,” the minister regretted. As a punitive measure against the lapses, he cited, four concerned people have been suspended for the breakdown in National Grid that day. Supervision and maintenance of 3500 km National Grid have been tightened and a cell formed to collect instant information of the main transmission channel from all the areas. Power division secretary Arabinda Kar and senior power officials and AES Haripur project managing director Scott Kicker also spoke on the occasion while Korean ambassador in Dhaka and US embassy officials were also present. |