Dhaka: The government has given the green light to power purchase agreements involving three significant combined cycle power plants, with the objective of bolstering grid stability and optimizing electricity generation costs. This decision was made during the 5th meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase for the year, convened at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, who later briefed reporters on the outcomes.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the committee sanctioned the procurement of electricity from the Ashuganj 450 MW Combined Cycle (South) Power Plant at a re-determined levelised tariff of US cents 4.6934 per kilowatt hour. This agreement involves an estimated expenditure of Tk 23,880.02 crore. Additionally, the purchase of power from the Siddhirganj 335 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant, constructed by the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB), was approved at a tariff of US cents 4.4140 per kilowatt hour, amounting to an estimated cost of Tk 21,675.04 crore.
Furthermore, the committee recommended the procurement of electricity from the Haripur 412 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant at a tariff of US cents 3.8753 per kilowatt hour, with an estimated expenditure of Tk 19,864.13 crore. Officials emphasized that the revised tariffs are expected to contribute to maintaining stability in the national power grid while concurrently reducing overall generation costs.
In addition to the power purchase approvals, the meeting also gave the nod to a proposal from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. This proposal involves hiring UNICEF under a World Bank-financed project aimed at enhancing pre-primary and primary education for forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, and Bhasan Char, with a project cost estimated at Tk 203.87 crore.
The committee also approved a proposal from the Ministry of Land to engage Mysoft BD Limited for services related to the operation, development, and maintenance of the Digital Land Record Management System (DLRMS), at a cost of Tk 99.44 crore. Furthermore, the appointment of the international law firm White and Case LLP was endorsed to provide legal services for defending the government in an arbitration case at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).