The EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract for the proposed 1320MW coal-fired power plant in Rampal near the Sundarbans will be signed this month, reports UNB. Power secretary and chairman of the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPC) Monwar Islam revealed this while addressing a workshop on Power System Master Plan (PSMP), organised by JICA at Biddyut Bhaban in the city. “The date of signing the contract is yet to be confirmed. But hopefully it will be signed within this current month." The power secretary’s remarks come at a time when campaigners opposed to the plant on environmental grounds are stepping up efforts alleging the power plant will immensely affect the Sundarbans forest and its biodiversity. The BIFPC, a joint venture company of Dhaka and New Delhi, has been implementing the 1320 MW coal-fired power plant.