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Small power plant plan attracts good response

80 investors respond for 15 plants

SHARIER KHAN
The government move for setting up of 15 small private sector power plants with a total production capacity of 450 megawatt (mw) at different places across the country with local investment has evoked tremendous interest, according to Power Development Board (PDB) and industry insiders.
A top official of the PDB said 80 investors have already participated in a pre-qualification bid to set up 20 to 30 mw plants. The bid will close on July 1.
The PDB that has initiated the scheme plans to pick up 20 of these investors under a guideline approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
The committee yesterday approved amendment to the Private Sector Power Generation Policy allowing generation of up to 30 mw of power under private management. Till now, the policy allowed a maximum of 10 mw and a few such plants are in operation now. The investors will be given one to two months to submit their proposals and the best technical and financial bidders, following final negotiations, will be given 10 to 12 months to build these plants, most of which will be gas-fired.
"The move has created scopes for local investors to have a greater access to power sector and also help end the shortage of investment in the sector," said the PDB official.
The power plants will be set up in Sirajganj, Habiganj, Moulavibazar, Comilla, Bogra, Feni, Tangail, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Barisal, Choumohoni of Noakhali and Isnanagar and Bara Aulia of Chittagong.
Five of the plants -- at Barisal, Naogaon, Rajshahi, Dinajpur and Rangpur-- will be oil-fired as there is no gas connection there.
"We hail the government move to allow 30 mw plants under private sector and its bid for installation of 15 such plants across the country, " said Aziz Khan of Summit Power that built several small power plants in the past and the 100-mw Khulna bargemounted power plant.
"According to our estimate, local investors will invest at least $300 million for these plants," he added.
The cabinet committee meeting, chaired by Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, approved the amendment to private sector power policy that will also restrict payment of power tariff in local currency instead of foreign
exchange. This will greatly help stop drainage of the foreign exchange reserve.
The investors will get special fiscal incentives and other facilities till 2007.
A level playing field will be ensured through open tender for maximum participation so that the tariff is fixed in a transparent process, sources said.
Back in 1998, the government first allowed small power plants in private sector and amended the policy in 2000 to add some incentives.
The country now needs around 3600 mw of power and the demand is set to grow by 10 percent a year.