State-owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) yesterday signed a contract with a Japanese-Korean consortium to build new grid lines to enhance electricity transmission and supply capacity in the Chittagong region, UNB reports. Under the contract, the consortium of Japanese firms Fujikura Ltd., Itochu Corporation and Korean firm LS Cable Ltd., will build 74 kilometres of 230 kV transmission line in the southern division. Once the line comes into operation, the new line will substantially enhance the grid transmission capacity by carrying up to 750-MW electricity from different power plants now under construction, said a PGCB statement.
As per the deal, the consortium will install 28-km grid transmission line from Hathazari to Shikalbaha, another 28-km line from Hathazari to Rampur and an 18-km line from Anwara to Shikalbaha power station at a total cost of Tk 543 crore. The consortium will have to install the lines within the next 2 years on turnkey basis and hand over to PGCB. The Japanese donor agency JICA, Bangladesh government and PGCB are jointly financing the project. Fujikura general manager Ryo Kitahara from the consortium and PGCB company secretary Md Ashraf Hossain signed the contract on behalf of their respective sides at a function in the PGCB office.PGCB managing director Masum Al Beruni, executive director (P&D) Chowdhury Alamgir Hossain, executive director (finance) Paresh Chandra Roy and project director Mahbub Ahmed were present on the occasion.