Bangladesh Govt to Install 100-200 MW Wind Power IPP

This will be the first large wind farmin Bangladesh. The power board earlier made two unsuccessful attempts at running two 1 MW wind power plants in Feni and Cox’s Bazar.

The board officials told the meeting wind turbine could be installed in offshore areas, about 50 metres off the coast, at Anwara, Banshkhali or Kutubdia to generate electricity.

They said the average wind speed in the areas identified was 6.5 metres a second above 50 metres from the ground whereas the latest wind turbine can generate electricity at the wind speed of 4.5 metres a second.

‘We will go for a pre-qualification tender for the installation of a 100 MW–200 MW wind power plant in a month if the government gives approval,’ the power board chairman, ASM Alamgir Kabir, told after the meeting.

He said the plant would be installed as an independent power plant, from where the board would buy electricity. PDB officials said the price of electricity of the ‘environment-friendly’ plant could be higher because of higher installation cost.

‘The installation cost of 1 MW will be around $2 million whereas a conventional gas-based unit costs below $1million for installation,’ an official said.

He said there was a risk that the wind turbines might be affected in cyclones. ‘Additional care will be needed to protect the wind turbine during cyclones.’

The inter-ministry meeting also decided to install four 1 MW wind energy plants at Swandwip, Hatia and Kutubdia. Officials of the defence and civil aviation ministries, Meteorological Department and the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation were present.

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