The Cabinet Committee on public purchase (CCPP) approved a total of 8 proposals including setting up 660 MW gas-fired plant in Meghnaghat in Gazaria of Munshiganj by private sector, import fertilizer and purchase of Corona Virus RT-qPCR Diagnostic kits. Finance Minister AHM Musafa Kamal presided over the virtually held cabinet body meeting on Sunday. As per proposals, Consortium of (1) Edra Power Holdings Sdn Bhd, Malaysia and (2) Winnievision Power Ltd, Bangladesh, will set up the 660 MW combined cycle plant on unsolicited basis under the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy Act (special provision) 2010. The state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will purchase electricity from the plant over a period of 22 years at a levelised power tariff of 3.679 US Cents (equivalent to Tk 2.94) per kilowatt hour if it is run by local gas. But if the plant is run by imported re-gasified liquefied natural gas (R-LNG), the tariff will be 6.7972 US Cents (equivalent to Tk 5.4377) kilowatt hour (per unit). The government will have to Pay Tk 69,165 crore to the consortium to purchase the electricity from the plant over the contracted period of 22 years. Another proposal of the Power Division that received the nod of the committee to extend a deal with India for another 5 years to import 160 MW electricity from its Tripura state. Read: Cabinet body okays imports of rice & fertilisers The committee approved a proposal of the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) under the public health division to procure 2 million CoronaVirus RT-qPCR Diagnostic kits (with VTM and swab) from three suppliers Sterling Multi Technologies Ltd, Dhaka; OMC (Pvt) Ltd. Dhaka; and G.S Biotech, Narayanganj, at a cost of Tk 117.41 crore. Three separate proposals of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation under the Industries Ministry received the nod of the committee to import a total of 90,000 metric tons of urea fertilizers. Of these, the BCIC will purchase 30,000 MT of fertilizer from each of the three suppliers—Kafco of Bangladesh, Muntajat of Qatar and Sabic of Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the Cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) gave in principle approval to four separate proposals. As per a proposal of the Public Transport Division under the Ministry of Establishment, 50 Mitsubishi Pajero sports jeeps will be purchased for the Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) from the state-owned Progoti Industries through direct procurement method. The CCEA gave approval to a proposal of the Roads and Highway Department to cancel its decision to implement its project titled: Implementation of Dhaka –Chattagram Expressway Construction under PPP. Read: Fertiliser demand rescheduled for fiscal year 2020-21 The committee approved another proposal of the Roads and Highway Department to implement its project—Hatirjheel-Rampura Bridge-Banasri-Shekhertek-Amulia Highway Improvement into four lane—through public private partnership (PPP). As per the decision, now the project will be awarded to the Consortium of (1) China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCCL) and (2) China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) to work as PPP partner. A proposal of the Health Directorate under Public Health Service Division received the nod of the CCEA to import 27.64 crore syringes from China National Pharmaceuticals Foreign Trade Corporation under the direct procurement method for vaccinating 13.82 crore people. The syringes will be purchased to achieve a target to vaccinate 2 crore people every month against the coronavirus.

Energy experts at a webinar in Dhaka expressed frustration over the government’s unwillingness on hydrocarbon exploration in the country and growing dependence on gas import to meet the domestic demand.