Dhaka, March 22 (Xinhua) Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi Prime Minister, attended the inauguration ceremony of the country’s first 1,320MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Payra, Bangladesh’s biggest power plant project operated by a Bangladesh-China joint venture. Bangladesh has moved to a new era by attaining 100-percent electricity coverage in the country with the inauguration of the power plant, the prime minister said.

Located in Patuakhali, south of Bangladesh, the power plant is a key project under the Belt and Road Initiative, owned by Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), a joint venture of China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladesh’s North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL), each of which holds 50 percent of the shares.

With core technologies and equipment provided by CMC, the project started construction in October, 2016. Unit 1 of the project was granted a license from Bangladeshi government and commenced its commercial operation in May, 2020.

Li Jiming, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, noted in his speech that China and Bangladesh have jointly built the power plant based on the principle of equality and cooperation over the past six years. The project has taken into account the needs of environmental protection and industrial development in Bangladesh, greatly contributing to the well-being of the Bangladeshi people. 

It’s learned that the power plant is capable of generating around 8.58 billion KWH of electricity for Bangladesh every year after going into full operation, which will greatly ease local tension of electricity supply and serve as an adequate guarantee for local economic development and improvement of people’s living standards.

Source：Xinhua