The Maitree super thermal power project is being constructed by the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (BIFPCL), a 50:50 joint venture between the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), an Indian Government-owned electric utility company.
The project is estimated to involve a capital investment of approximately $2bn. Financial closure for the thermal power project was achieved in April 2017 through a financing agreement with Indian EXIM Bank for the main plant engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) turnkey package. The construction of the project commenced in April 2017.
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The first unit of the Maitree super thermal power project is planned to be commissioned in December 2021. The commissioning of the power plant will coincide with the Golden Jubilee celebration of the liberation of Bangladesh. The power generated from the project will be supplied to BPDB.
Maitree super thermal power project location
The Maitree super thermal power project is located at Rampal, in the district of Bagerhat, within Khulna division, Bangladesh. The project site is located 14km north-east of the Mongla port and 14km north-west of the Sundarbans mangrove area.
Maitree super thermal power project details
The power plant will include two steam-based 660MW power generation units, as well as pulverised coal-fired supercritical boiler units, steam turbines, and generators. Each boiler unit will feature a regenerative air heater, boiler proper, two induced draft (ID) fans and two forced draft (FD) fans. The power plant will use light diesel fuel oil for boiler start-up, flame stabilisation and low-load operation.
The steam flow at the superheater outlet of the boilers will be 2,120t/h at 568°C and steam pressure will be approximately 256kg/cm², while the steam flow at the re-heater outlet will be 1,708.2t/h at 596°C.
The steam generators’ design incorporates a balanced draft furnace, single reheat type suitable for outdoor installation. A single-pass (Tower type) of two-pass type will be used as a gas pass arrangement. The boilers will support a variable pressure operation boiler maximum continuous rating (BMCR) ranging between 30% and 100%, with and without a 5% throttle margin, while the design will also enable low NOx formation.
The Maitree super thermal power plant will have a stack height of more than 275m. The design features a twin flue steel-lined reinforced concrete chimney.
Infrastructure
The main plant will comprise a turbine building, boiler structures, and integrated control and electrical building.
In addition to the powerhouse, the main project will include auxiliary facilities including a raw water reservoir, switchyard, water pre-treatment system, surface water reverse osmosis type desalinisation plant and a demineralisation plant. Other facilities will include a circulating cooling water pump house, coal and ash handling systems, an effluent treatment plant, and accommodation for the project staff.
A 1.2km-long jetty, along with conveyors and a coal storage facility, is also being constructed as part of the project.
Coal supply and handling
The Maitree super thermal power project is expected to receive up to 4.7 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of coal, which is envisaged to be supplied along the Passur River via Fairway Buoy. The Passur Channel was the preferred route in the project’s environmental impact assessment report.
The preferred anchorage points include the Fairway Buoy and the Mazhar Point. Coal will be unloaded at the power plant jetty, which is designed to handle multiple vessels. The berth will also handle smaller barges for fly ash, limestone and gypsum.
The jetty infrastructure will include a conveyor, hopper, grab type unloader, crane and other mobile equipment. The project specifies usage of coal with a gross calorific value (GCV) of 5,400-6,300kcal/kg, an average sulphur content of 0.6% and maximum moisture content of 15%.
Contractors involved in Maitree super thermal power project
Indian state-owned engineering and manufacturing enterprise Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) received the EPC contract for the project in July 2016. BHEL subcontracted global technology company GE for the supply of pressure part components for the project in May 2017.
Bangladesh-based consultancy firm Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) was engaged by BPDB and BIFPCL to conduct the environmental assessment for the Maitree super thermal power project.
Construction materials supplier Dextra was contracted to provide its Marine Tie Bar systems to connect piles and waling beams for the jetty of the power plant.
