ECNEC approves Tk 4,567cr Dhaka-Ctg power grid strengthening project
8 projects involving Tk 7,868cr okayed
STAFF REPORTER
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved two big projects in the power sector in a bid to develop power transmission system between Dhaka and Chittagong, and then Matarbari with a 400-KV transmission line.
The approval was given at the weekly ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said a total of eight projects were approved today with an overall outlay of Tk 7,868.03 crore.
Of the total project cost, Tk 3,026.72 crore will come from the state coffer, while Tk 539.63 crore from the organisations own fund and Tk 4,301.68 crore from project assistance.
Of the approved eight projects, six are new while two are revised ones.
The planning minister said the Dhaka-Chittagong Main Power Grid Strengthening Project will be implemented at a cost of Tk 4,567.49 crore by the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) by December 2020.
Of the total project cost, Tk 1340.40 crore will come from the national exchequer, Tk 459.53 crore from the organisations own fund, while Tk 2767.56 crore as project assistance from JICA.
The main objective of the project is to transmit power to be generated from Matarbari 1200 MW coal-based power plant.
Under the project, there will be construction of some 428 circuit kilometer 400-KV double-circuit transmission line from Meghnaghat-Modunaghat, construction of 8-km 230-KV double circuit transmission line from the existing Modunaghat power substation and new Modunaghat power substation, construction of 230-KV switching station at Meghnaghat.
Under the project, Mustafa Kamal said, power will initially be transmitted from Dhaka to Chittagong through charging the line at 230 KV.
On completion of the construction works at the Matarbari coal-based power plant, the additional power will then be brought from Chittagong to Dhaka.
The Ecnec meeting gave nod to another power sector project titled Matarbari ultra super critical coal-fired power plant (2) (PGCB portion: Matarbari-Modunaghat 400 KV transmission line) project with Tk 1091.81 crore.
PGCB under the Power Division will implement the project by December 2020.
JICA will provide Tk 787.10 crore as project assistance.
The main objective of the project is to evacuate the generated power from Matarbari 1200 MW coal-based power plant and to fulfill the increasingly growing demand for power in Chittagong area through setting up 92-kilometer 400-KV power transmission line from Modunaghat to Matarbari.
The other projects approved at the meeting are replacement of old machineries at Thakurgaon sugar mills and incorporation of necessary machineries for producing sugar from sugar beet, 1st revised, with Tk 411.10 crore, children, maternal health and development of
health system (Component-2) and modernisation of diagnostic imaging system at seven divisional medical college and hospitals) with Tk 795.77 crore.
The projects also include further development of Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University (2nd phase) with Tk 352.68 crore, Tarail-Panchuria flood control, drainage and irrigation (2nd phase), 1st revised, with Tk 322.01 crore, protection of Sonaikandi to Bulonpur areas of Rajshahi metropolis from the erosion of River Padma with Tk 268.17 crore and improvement of standard of water supply services of Dhaka Wasa for the low-income community and improvement of financial modeling and technical efficiency of Dhaka Wasa under the framework of Sayedabad Phase 3 project with Tk 60 crore were also approved at the meeting.
Ministers, state ministers, planning commission members and secretaries concerned were project.
