SUNDAY SPECIAL
Power-ful future
Faisal Mahmud
An exhibition of tools, models, and machinery of the power and energy sector would not attract a large crowd, would it? But the four-day-long exhibition at Bashundhara Convention City proved to be quite a hit.
Thousands of people flocked to Bashundhara Convention City where 325 stalls from 125 government and private organisations in the power and energy sector exhibited their products and services from December 7 to 10. Not only businessmen, investors, and academics attended it, the exhibition recorded the highest footfall from common people.
Learning experience
Sazzad Bin Hanif, a doctor by profession, was found roaming the exhibition hall on Friday afternoon. I did not have much idea about our countrys power and energy sector. I have learned a lot from this exhibition, he said.
Tanvir Hossain Siddiqi, a student of electrical engineering at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST), said this kind of expo gives him exposure to the industry.
As a student of electrical engineering, I want to work in the power sector. So, finding almost all power producers and power distributors under one roof is fascinating for me, he gushed.
Tanvir said the stalls gave a lot of information about their operations. Previously, I only had theoretical knowledge of power station management. But after visiting the stall of Ashuganj Power Station and seeing their model, I now have a better idea about the operational procedure of power production, he added.
Many people were found in front of the model of the controversial coal-based Rampal power plant near the Sundarbans. The officials from Bangladesh-India Friendship Company Ltd answered queries about the plant from common people.
I came here only to see this, said Anas Al-Amin, a student at Dhaka University. There has been much debate about this plant. I wanted to learn more about it. So, I came here, he said.
Link with common man
Talking to The Independent, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, deputy manager (production) of Bangladesh Gas Field Co. Ltd (BGFCL), said common people have no idea about how a gas company works.
We are here to explain it to them. People now have a lot of interest in the gas issue. Many people ask us about the gas crisis. They also want to know about the supply network of gas. We are giving them information, he added.
Sayfur Rahman, the marketing manager of Hosaf Meter, was present at the stall. He said the exhibition was a great place to promote their products. Bangladesh does not hold too many exhibitions on the power and energy sector. So, this is a good occasion for us.
He said they are also getting good business deals. A visiting Chinese delegation came to our stall and talked about business prospects with us. Besides, many local customers are ordering LED bulbs from our stall.
Rahman said they are selling 12 types of bulbs whose prices range from Tk. 195 to Tk. 3,105. Our LED light reduces energy consumption, which helps minimise carbon footprint. The lifespan of our LED light is up to 50,000 hours or the equivalent of 15 years running 10 hours a day, he said.
Sayed Abdul Bari, a senior executive of United Power Generation and Distribution Co. Ltd (UPGDCL), said many people had been visiting their stall and learning about their activities.
Many visitors did not know that we are the countrys first commercial independent power producer. This exhibition gave us the opportunity to let the people know about our contribution to the countrys power sector, he smiled.
Sifat-uz-Zaman, coordinator (accounts sales) at Wartsila Bangladesh, said the exhibition gave them the opportunity to reach out to the common man. Business dealings in a huge capital-intensive sector like power and energy sector rarely happen in an exhibition like this. But through this exhibition, marketing worth millions of taka will happen, he said.
He said many people do not know that Wartsila is one of the largest power plant equipment suppliers in Bangladesh. Our client list includes United Group, Summit Group, and Orion Group. We have so far supplied machinery that is producing around 2,800 MW of electricity and supplying it to the national grid, he stated.
Power-ful future
The stalls displaying or exhibiting renewable energy products drew the largest crowds. Mahmudul Hasan, manager, project development, international affairs, at Grameen Shakti, was found explaining their solar home system to a large group.
Urban peoples interest in solar power has increased because of the provision in the building code that a multi-storeyed building has to install solar power on the rooftop. We have mostly worked in the rural areas and developed solar power solutions for them. But now, we are also focusing on the needs of urban people, he said.
The IDCOL stall also got a huge crowd. People were particularly interested in learning about their solar power grid project.
In the innovation zone, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) students Rifat Mahmud and Rupak R Halder exhibited a miniature model of a bituminous coal-fired 500-MW integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant.
Explaining their project, Rifat said, IGCC is a technology that uses a high-pressure gasifier to turn coal and other carbon-based fuel into pressurised synthesis gas (syngas). In an IGCC plant, coal is not burnt directly. Rather, coal reacts with pure oxygen to go through a partial oxidation reaction to produce syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, he explained.
The best part of IGCC is that it is more eco-friendly than other traditional coal-based plants. Also, it is more efficient. A lot of big industries has shown interest in our model. We hope their interest will materialise into business offers, Rifat added.
