Current Status: Operation
Source: Daily Star
Bera 70 MW Furnace Oil Power Plant, also known as Bera Peaking Power Plant, is a reciprocating engine-based power plant situated in Bara Shalikha under Bera Upazila in Pabna District of Bangladesh (Location: 24°05'25"N, 89°37'05"E). It has been sponsored by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) as a State-owned Power Plant (SOPP) for 25 years. The power plant started its commercial operation on 28 October 2011, and, as per schedule, it will retire on 27 October 2036.
Capacity
The installed (gross) and derated (net) capacity of the power plant is 74.61 MW and 71 MW, respectively. So the power plant has a capacity of 74 (±4%) MW (BPDB, 2023).
Context
In September 2009, the bids for five power plants were floated. Then, On 26 April 2010, the government entered into agreements with a domestic company and two international firms to construct five peaking power plants, generating a total of 420 megawatts of electricity from these, the Bera 70 MW (BPDB) HFO Power Plant was one of the projects commissioned. Contracts were formalized with the Power Development Board (PDB) during a ceremony held at the Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) head office in Dhaka planning that the power plant would be in operation in 15 months (DS, 2010).
The power plant was sponsored by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the sole electricity buyer from private and public power plants and It was planned that Hyundai Heavy Industries from Korea would install the Bera power plant at a cost of BDT 484.68 crore (DS, 2010). The total budget for the project was set to BDT 542 crore (DS, 2011).
On 05 August 2010, Hyundai Heavy Industries Company Limited commenced the construction of the power plant in the Bera pumping station area under the supervision of the Power Development Board (PDB) (DS, 2011).
The test run was scheduled to start in mid September of 2011 with a 168-hour long test operation before going into full production (DS, 2011). Finally, The power plant started its commercial operation on 28 October 2011 (BPDB, 2023). Although the plant started power generation in October, its inauguration ceremony was held on 02 February 2012 (DS, 2013).
In 2019, to replace and renovate the entire roof in the engine room, Novelty was selected by the Bangladesh Power Development Board, aiming to address and eliminate the persistent water leakage problem that cost BDT 20 million (Novelty, 2023).
Fuel Supply
There is no information found exactly about the fuel supplier for this powerplant. Usually, Petrobangla is the fuel supply source of power plants.
Land Acquisition
The power plant is situated in a land area of approx. 6.36 acres (Calculated via Google Earth).
Finance
Hyundai Heavy Industries from South Korea was set to establish the Bera plant, with an estimated investment of BDT 484.68 crore (DS, 2010) . The total budget for the project was set to BDT 542 crore (DS, 2011).
Sponsor
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is the sole sponsor of this powerplant (DS, 2010).
Contractors
Hyundai Heavy Industries Company Limited of South Korea was the EPC contractor of this power plant (DS, 2010).
Power Generation
The power plant possesses an installed (gross) capacity of 74.61 MW and a derated (net) capacity of 71 MW, resulting in an effective capacity of 74 (±4%) MW. As of October in the 2023-2024 electricity generation period, the Plant Load Factor (PLF) for this power plant stands at a mere 4.2%, signifying a significantly low ratio between the actual energy generated by the plant and the maximum potential energy it could have produced during the specified timeframe. The PLF was 8% in the 2022-2023 timeframe.
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Environment
The utilization of heavy oil for electricity generation poses harmful impacts on the local and global environment, as well as human health. Depending on wind patterns and velocities, different areas may suffer from the adverse effects of black smoke and sulfur-related pollution produced during the combustion of heavy oil. Expected local atmospheric repercussions encompass increased levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and fine particulate matter. The Bera Peaking Power Plant also employs heavy fuel for electricity generation, but there is no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) available for this power plant.
References
BPDB (2023). “Power Sector Progress Report”. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB): 12 July 2023.
BPDB 2010. “Annual Report 2009-2010”. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB): 1 August 2010.
DS (2010). “Five deals signed on power plants”. The Daily Star (DS): 27 April 2010.
DS (2011). “Bera power plant to start production in mid-Sept” The Daily Star (DS): 08 August 2011.
DS (2013). “PM to open Bera power plant during Pabna visit”. The Daily Star (DS): 29 January 2013.
Novelty (2023). “Renovation of Bera 70MW Power Plant”. Novelty: Accessed on 15 November 2023.