Gaibandha Ashuganj power station
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Gaibandha Ashuganj power station is a cancelled power station in Saghata and Fulchari Upzilla, Gaibandha, Bangladesh. It is also known as North Bengal power station, Uttarbanga power station, Barapukuria Ashuganj power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Gaibandha Ashuganj power station | Saghata and Fulchari Upzilla, Gaibandha, Bangladesh | 25.297897, 89.593989 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal - bituminous | 660 | unknown | – | – |
| Unit 2 | cancelled | coal - bituminous | 660 | unknown | – | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Ashuganj Power Station Co Ltd (APSCL) [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Ashuganj Power Station Co Ltd (APSCL) [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): domestic
Background
In October 2014, it was reported that state-owned Ashuganj Power Station Company Limited (APSCL) planned to set up a 1,320 MW coal-based power plant at the mouth of Barapukuria coal mine in Dinajpur. The plant was planned for the northern part of Barapukuria. Construction of the plant would require at least five years.[1][2]
On September 1, 2016, the Bangladesh government said it would set up a 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant in the public sector on the bank of Jamuna River at Fulchari in Gaibandha. The proposed plant was expected to use coal from Barapukuria coal mine. APSCL would implement and finance the mega plant.[3]
Shortly after, the Energy and Mineral Resources division secretary Nazimuddin Chowdhury announced, "We are giving up open-pit mining in Barapukuria." The decision came as a result of "high risk for open-pit mining given the potential vulnerability of the vast arable lands in the North Bengal that produces a large portion of the country's granaries," according to AKM Shamsuddin, a former official of state-owned Petrobangla. According to reports, the decision to abandon the open-pit option would hamper further power plant development, since underground mining also has feasibility problems.[4]
Despite the announcement, in May 2017, Ashuganj Power Station Company released a letter of interest for a 2 x 660 MW coal plant. This plant would be fueled by coal from Dinajpur district, and would be built "at the bank of the Jamuna river at Saghata and Fulchari Upzilla or any suitable location in Gaibandha district in Rangpur Division of Bangladesh." The coal would be delivered by a new rail line connecting the mine and plant.[5]
The 1,320 MW Gaibandha project was also listed in the Bangladesh Master Plan released November 2018, with a proposed commissioning year of 2031.[6]
Project cancelled by government
On November 19, 2020, The Daily Star reported that Bangladesh's power, energy and mineral resources ministry had finalized an energy plan that cancelled all coal plants except five under construction. The Gaibandha Ashuganj power station will likely be cancelled as a result. The ministry will soon send the plan to the Prime Minister's Office for review.[7]
In June 2021, the Bangladesh State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources announced the government was officially dropping ten coal plant projects in its master energy plan totaling over 8 GW of power due to delays in implementation. The Gaibandha Ashuganj power station was among the ten cancelled coal plants.[8]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Now 1,320MW coal power plant planned for Barapukuria," Dhaka Tribune, October 12, 2014
- ↑ "Govt to extract coal under open cut mining at Barapukuria," The Daily Observer, January 6, 2015
- ↑ "1320MW coal-fired plant to be set up in Gaibandha," Daily Sun, September 1, 2016
- ↑ "Government backtracks on open-pit mining in Barapukuria," Energy Bangla, September 23, 2016
- ↑ Request for Expression of Interest, Ashuganj Power Station Company, May 13, 2017
- ↑ 2016 Master Plan "Revisited", Bangladesh Power Division, Nov 2018
- ↑ "Future not coal power," The Daily Star, November 19, 2020
- ↑ "10 coal-fired power projects scrapped as part of master plan revision," UNB, June 27, 2021
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
