IPPs, rental plants hit power sector hard

PDB glares at their unusual high prices

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) is concerned about the unusually high prices charged by some independent power producers (IPPs) and rental plants that make the whole sector vulnerable. According to the audit report of the PDB, the furnace oil- based 305MW Summit Meghnaghat is the most expensive power plant of its kind in the nation. It charges Tk. 20.40 for per unit of power, which is twice the amount charged by Khulna Power Company Limited (KPCL), another furnace oil-based plant of the same company.  Among diesel-run power plants, the 100 MW Desh Energy in Siddirgonj is the most expensive as it sells electricity at Tk. 28.11 per unit to the PDB.
The gas based power plant set up by Venture Energy in Bhola sales power at Tk 4.60 per unit to the PDB. It is the most most costly power plant of its kind.
“Even though the oil price has remained down for the last few years, the PDB now faces the challenge of minimising the cost of power generation. In particular, the prices charged by costly power plants like Summit Megnaghat and Desh Energy should be regulated,” an official of the power development board told The Independent. According to the latest annual report (FY2015–2016) of the PDB, which was published recently, the

government spent Tk. 7,565 crore to purchase power from IPPs. Out of that amount, Tk. 2,069.71 crore went to Summit Meghnaghat plant’s coffer alone.  
Overall, the power generation cost had gone down with stability in the international oil price for the few years.
The average cost of power generation was Tk. 5.55 per unit as against Tk. 6.27 in FY2014–2015.  The reduced cost resukted in a slightly healthier financial condition for the PDB healthier compared to the previous year.  
The PDB had lost 3873 Crore Taka from 7282 Crore Taka in FY2014-2015.
The report shows that the furnace oil-based Raj Lanka Power Limited sold electricity to the PDB at Tk. 16.50 per unit, Lakdhanvi Power at Tk. 16.30 per unit , Energies Power at Tk. 15.73 per unit,  Summit Narayangonj Power at Tk. 5.51 per unit and KPCL at Tk. 8.04 per unit in the last fiscal year.
Diesel-based power plants like AGGREKO and International Khulna sold power to the PDB at Tk. 27.32 per unit, DPA Power Generation Limited at Tk. 26.98 per unit, RZ Power Limited at Tk. 21.69 per unit.
The average diesel-based power price was Tk. 26.57 per unit as against last fiscal years’s Tk. 25.80.
Among gas-based IPPs, AGGREKO International Asugonj sold power at Tk. 4.41 per unit , AGGREKO Ghorasal (145MW ) at Tk. 3.41 per unit, AGGREKO B’Baria at Tk. 3.68 per unit, United Ashugonj at Tk. 4.08 per unit, Max Power at Tk. 3.69 per unit.  
There were some cheper power plants like AES in Haripur that charged Tk. 1.47 for per unit of power, Summit Bibiyana-1 that sold power at Tk. 2.06 per unit of power and AES in Meghnaghat that charged Tk. 2.21 for per unit of electricity.
The PDB official said those are the combined cycle-based load power plants with a capacity of 300MW–450 MW.
In the last fiscal year, the power generation cost of PDB plants was Tk. 4.40 per unit, while the average price of power purchased from IPPs was Tk. 5.11 per unit. The average prices of power purchased from rental plants and public plants were Tk. 6.91 and Tk. 4.22 per unit respectively.
The average price of importing power from India was Tk. 5.15 per unit.
The government spent Tk. 27,869 crore in generation and purchase of power. Of this, rental plants and IPPs received Tk. 14,000 crore and public plants Tk. 3,993 crore. The PDB’s total power generation cost was Tk. 5,626 crore. Indian companies received Tk. 1,966 crore taka for exporting power to Bangladesh.

 

IPPs, rental plants hit power sector hard

PDB glares at their unusual high prices

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) is concerned about the unusually high prices charged by some independent power producers (IPPs) and rental plants that make the whole sector vulnerable. According to the audit report of the PDB, the furnace oil- based 305MW Summit Meghnaghat is the most expensive power plant of its kind in the nation. It charges Tk. 20.40 for per unit of power, which is twice the amount charged by Khulna Power Company Limited (KPCL), another furnace oil-based plant of the same company. Among diesel-run power plants, the 100 MW Desh Energy in Siddirgonj is the most expensive as it sells electricity at Tk. 28.11 per unit to the PDB. The gas based power plant set up by Venture Energy in Bhola sales power at Tk 4.60 per unit to the PDB. It is the most most costly power plant of its kind. Even though the oil price has remained down for the last few years, the PDB now faces the challenge of minimising the cost of power generation. In particular, the prices charged by costly power plants like Summit Megnaghat and Desh Energy should be regulated, an official of the power development board told The Independent. According to the latest annual report (FY20152016) of the PDB, which was published recently, the government spent Tk. 7,565 crore to purchase power from IPPs. Out of that amount, Tk. 2,069.71 crore went to Summit Meghnaghat plants coffer alone. Overall, the power generation cost had gone down with stability in the international oil price for the few years. The average cost of power generation was Tk. 5.55 per unit as against Tk. 6.27 in FY20142015. The reduced cost resukted in a slightly healthier financial condition for the PDB healthier compared to the previous year. The PDB had lost 3873 Crore Taka from 7282 Crore Taka in FY2014-2015. The report shows that the furnace oil-based Raj Lanka Power Limited sold electricity to the PDB at Tk. 16.50 per unit, Lakdhanvi Power at Tk. 16.30 per unit , Energies Power at Tk. 15.73 per unit, Summit Narayangonj Power at Tk. 5.51 per unit and KPCL at Tk. 8.04 per unit in the last fiscal year. Diesel-based power plants like AGGREKO and International Khulna sold power to the PDB at Tk. 27.32 per unit, DPA Power Generation Limited at Tk. 26.98 per unit, RZ Power Limited at Tk. 21.69 per unit. The average diesel-based power price was Tk. 26.57 per unit as against last fiscal yearss Tk. 25.80. Among gas-based IPPs, AGGREKO International Asugonj sold power at Tk. 4.41 per unit , AGGREKO Ghorasal (145MW ) at Tk. 3.41 per unit, AGGREKO BBaria at Tk. 3.68 per unit, United Ashugonj at Tk. 4.08 per unit, Max Power at Tk. 3.69 per unit. There were some cheper power plants like AES in Haripur that charged Tk. 1.47 for per unit of power, Summit Bibiyana-1 that sold power at Tk. 2.06 per unit of power and AES in Meghnaghat that charged Tk. 2.21 for per unit of electricity. The PDB official said those are the combined cycle-based load power plants with a capacity of 300MW450 MW. In the last fiscal year, the power generation cost of PDB plants was Tk. 4.40 per unit, while the average price of power purchased from IPPs was Tk. 5.11 per unit. The average prices of power purchased from rental plants and public plants were Tk. 6.91 and Tk. 4.22 per unit respectively. The average price of importing power from India was Tk. 5.15 per unit. The government spent Tk. 27,869 crore in generation and purchase of power. Of this, rental plants and IPPs received Tk. 14,000 crore and public plants Tk. 3,993 crore. The PDBs total power generation cost was Tk. 5,626 crore. Indian companies received Tk. 1,966 crore taka for exporting power to Bangladesh.