Rampal chosen to ensure balance in power production:?Bipu
The state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, Nasrul Hamid Bipu, said yesterday (Monday) that the government has chosen Rampal for setting up the coal-based power plant to ensure balance in electricity production of the country. Replying to the query, why Rampal instead of others places, asked by journalists during a press meet on the Rampal power plant at Bidyut Bhaban, he said the southern coastal area has been chosen for obvious benefits of its proximity to the sea.
Also, there is no large power plant in the southern part of the country. You cant call it balanced electricity production if we construct huge plants on one side and none on the other, he said.
During the press meet, Bipu iterated the governments stand on going ahead with the Rampal power project, saying that it will not damage the Sunderbans at all. He said environment activists are envisaging a scenario in the Sunderbans which is without base.
There are environmentalists and there are environment activists. Both have their different views. I have asked all of them to visit the project area to see the situation for themselves. It will remove the confusion from their mind, he said.
About environment activists concern for the proposed plants proximity to the Sunderbans, Bipu said the plant site is 69 km from the UNESCO World Heritage Site and 14 km from the border of the Sunderbans. It is not at a harmful distance and there is no scope for confusion here, he said.
Bipu also said there is a misconception that coal will be brought through the Sunderbans. This is not correct. Coal will be brought through the Ghashiakhali channel which is being developed and will be opened soon, he added.
I have visited coal plants abroad and found that some of them are located in the middle of human habitation. Some of the power plants are surrounded by water bodies and greenery, paddy fields and there is no harmful effect of the power plant on the ecology, he said.
The Rampal power plant will use ultra super critical technology. Some of the foreign coal plants that I mentioned about use technology lesser than that, he added..
Speaking on the occasion, Ujjwal Bhattacharya, managing director of the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BIFPCL), said the BIFPCL has been carrying out development work in the plant area for nearly two years. However, this was the first time he was addressing the media, he said.
He said the BIFPCL has the target of planting five lakh saplings in the plant area which will work as carbon sink.
