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    • Apr 3
    • 3 min read

Gazipur 52 MW (RPCL) Dual Fuel Power Plant

Current Status: Operation

Source: RPCL


Gazipur 52 MW Dual Fuel Power Plant, also known as RPCL Gazipur Power Plant, is a reciprocating engine-based power plant situated in Gazipur Sadar Upazila in Gazipur District of Bangladesh (Coordinate: 23.9933, 90.3435). It is sponsored by Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL), a State-owned Enterprise (SOE) under the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), as a Public Power Plant (PPP) for 20 years. RPCL declared its Commercial Operation Date (COD) on 12 July 2012 and according to the schedule, it is to retire on 11 July 2032.


Capacity

The installed and net capacity of the Gazipur Dual Fuel Power Plant is 53.54 MW and 52 MW, respectively.


Context

On June 27, 2012, Rural Power Company Ltd. (RPCL) and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the establishment of a 52 MW Duel Fuel Power Station. The PPA was later updated on September 24, 2013 (RPCL, 2015).  The estimated cost of the project amounted to 385 crores which was provided by Rural Power Company Ltd. and Prime Bank Ltd., reflecting a collaborative approach involving both public and private entities (RPCL, 2019).


Meanwhile, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract was signed with Concord Pragatee Consortium Ltd (CPCL) on 24 August 2010 which was issued on 23 September 2012, after 2 years of the contract signing (CPCL, 2012). Then, the project officially began on March 23, 2011. The Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the power plant was 12 July 2012 (RPCL, 2019).   Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) have a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with the Gazipur 52 MW Power Plant for consistent supply of power to the grid.


Land Acquisition

The RPCL Gazipur power plant occupies 3.15 acres (Google Earth) of the complex's total 60 acres, which also includes one 132/33 kV substation and three power plants.  


Finance

The estimated cost of the project is BDT 3060.66 million (Euro USD 35.75 million) (CPCL, 2022) which was financed by Rural Power Company Ltd. and Prime Bank Ltd (RPCL, 2019).


Sponsor

Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL), a State-owned Enterprise (SOE) under the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), sponsored it as a Public Power Plant (PPP).


Contractors

Concord-Pragatee Consortium Limited (CPCL) was appointed as an Engineering, Procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor.


Fuel Supply

Bangladesh Petroleum Company (BPC) supplies fuel for the power plant as per the contract. The power plant uses Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) as the primary fuel and Domestic Fossil Gas (DFG) as the secondary fuel. In FY 2022- 2023, a total of 231.59 tonnes of HFO was required annually to run the power plant at 50.8% plant load factor (PLF)  (BPDB, 2023).


Power Generation

The scheduled Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the power plant was 30 November 2011 (BPDB 2010). The Power Plant, powered by six reliable W20V32GD engines manufactured by Wärtsilä Corporation, Finland, generates 52 MW of electricity (RPCL, 2015). Each of the V-type engines generates 8924 kW, contributing significantly to the region's energy infrastructure. The power plant generated 231,585,768 kWh at 50.8% PLF in FY 2022–2023 (BPDB, 2023). 



Environment

According to Section 12 of the Bangladesh Environment Protection Act 1995, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is obligatory for any industry (MOLJPA 1995). Polluting industries, such as power plants, must undergo an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and EIA as directed in the Environmental Conservation Rules 2017 (MOEFCC 1997). But, to date, no IEE or EIA report has been conducted for the power plant. Besides, HFO power plants often require water for cooling purposes. Discharge of heated water back into water bodies can disrupt aquatic ecosystems and harm marine life. Additionally, leaks or spills of HFO can contaminate water sources, leading to pollution and ecosystem damage.


References

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