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    • Jun 9
    • 4 min read

Hathazari 100 MW (BPDB) HFO Power Plant

Current Status: Operation

Representational Picture: SE


Hathazari 100 MW Furnace Oil Power Plant, also known as Hathazari Peaking Power Plant, is a reciprocating engine-run power plant situated on Ali Azam road under Hathazari Upazila under Chattogram District of Bangladesh (Location: 22.4926, 91.8056). 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 23 December 2011, and, as per schedule, it will retire on 22 December 2036.


Capacity

The installed (gross) and derated (net) capacity of the Power Plant is 100 MW and 97.9 MW, respectively.


Context

On April 25, 2010 Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) entered into an agreement with China's Guangdong Power Engineering Corporation (GPEC), now known as CPECC (China Power Engineering Consulting Group), for the construction of this plant. In 2011, Hathazari 100 MW Furnace Oil Power Plant started its commercial operation. This power plant was established in close proximity to the Power Development Board (PDB) sub-station situated in Hathazari. The Bangladeshi government spent approximately BDT 9.08 billion Tk from its own funds to build this plant in order to meet the country's electricity demand.


The trial production began in the last week of October 2011. However, due to an oil crisis, it was not entirely possible to operate at full capacity. According to another news  to produce 100 megawatts of electricity in this plant, 30 metric tons of gas per cubic foot would be needed (HU, 2023). During the rainy season, the burnt waste of furnace oil is secretly disposed in the adjecent Morachora canal during heavy rains. Through this canal, this waste oil goes to Halda river and mixes with it.


In July 2019, the Department of Environment ordered the closure of the power plant along with a fine for polluting Halda river, a natural fish breeding ground, through discharge of waste oil. After being closed for 15 months and taking care of the environmental issues, the authorities are preparing to take the clearance from the Department of Environment  (PD, 2020). On 15 April 2023, A fire occurred in a 230 KB electrical transformer (CT) of the 100 MW Peaking Power Plant at Hathazari, Chittagong. Due to this, electricity supply was temporarily stopped in South Chittagong for some hours. Then the authorities fixed that problem (DR ,2023).

 

Land Acquisition

According to google earth total area of this power plant is 18.2 acres. 


Finance

The construction of this plant, aimed at fulfilling the nation's electricity requirements, was funded by the Bangladeshi government, totaling around 9.08 billion taka from its internal resources.


Sponsor

This power plant has been sponsored by Bangladesh Power Development Board.


Contractor

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) entered into an agreement with China's Guangdong Power Engineering Corporation (GPEC), now known as CPECC (China Power Engineering Consulting Group), for the construction of this plant.


Power Generation

There are 11 units in this power plant, each capable of producing 8.9 megawatts. Together, these 11 units can generate approximately 98.16 megawatts of electricity. To achieve the full 100-megawatt electricity production capacity, 250 metric tons of furnace oil or 30 million cubic feet of gas are required. The scheduled Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the power plant was 30 November 2011 (BPDB 2010).


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). The Department of Environment (DoE) has taken significant punitive measures against river pollution by directing the suspension of operations at the government-owned Hathazari 100MW Peaking Power Plant. This action was due to the discharge of untreated toxic liquid waste into a waterbody linked to the Halda River. Additionally, the environmental regulatory body imposed a substantial fine of BDT 20 lakh Tk on the power plant, marking the second hefty fine since its establishment in 2012 ( DT ,2019)


Criticism

The affluent from this power plant pollute the water body. The most important part is it pollutes the water of Halda river which is one of the important parts of Bangladesh. Upon investigation, a team from the Department of Environment (DoE) discovered that the power plant discharged untreated substances into the Morachora streams, which are interconnected with the Halda River, on the night of July 7, 2019 amid heavy rainfall (DS, 2023). According to the environmental conservation rule 2023 the project falls in the “Red” indicating it as a potential harmful project for the environment (MOEFCC 2023).


References

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