According to official sources, both the 1320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant and 1320 MW Rampal power plant are now being constructed with a target to start operation in 2020.

As part of the move, the PGCB recently signed an agreement with South Korean company Hyosung Corporation awarding it a contract to upgrade the existing substation at Aminbazar in the city.

As per the contract, the Hyosung will do the job on a turnkey basis in next two years at a cost of Tk 164 crore.

The project is being financed jointly by Bangladesh government and Asian Development Bank (ADB). 

PGCB is also spending funds for the project alongside the government and donor agency, said the PGCB officials.

State-owned PDB is implementing the Rampal plant under a joint venture with Indian National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) at a cost of $2 billion while Payra is being implemented by a joint venture of state-owned North-West Power Generation Company and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) of $2 billion.

PGCB managing director Masum-Al-Beruni informed that the upgradation works of the Aminbazar grid substation will improve its capacity to a substantial level.

“Once upgradation is done, we will be able to transmit electricity from Payra and Rampal smoothly and supply it to Dhaka city and elsewhere”, he told UNB.

PGCB officials said the Aminbazar substation upgradation scheme is being implemented under the 400kV Aminbazar-Mawa-Mongla transmission line project.

The electricity from Payra power plant in Patuakhali and Rampal power plant in Bagerhat will come to Aminbazar substation in Dhaka through Gopalganj.
The substation will also be utilised to bring electricity from Meghnaghat power plant through a 400 kV transmission line, they noted.

The up-gradation of Aminbazar substation project also include installation of three transformers each having 520 MVA, two bays each having 400 kV, two bays each having 230 kV and three transformers bays.