When more power needed, country's sole hydro plant loses 30% capacity

At a time when there is a need for more power, especially the low-cost renewable ones, to meet the ever-growing demand, the country's sole hydroelectric source, Karnaphuli Hydropower Station, has lost 30% of its capacity for lack of maintenance. 

The condition of three of the facility's five units has degraded significantly, necessitating urgent overhauls. As a result, the capacity of the power plant has dropped from 242 MW to 171 MW, according to plant sources. 

Despite repeated attempts over the last five years, the Bangladesh Power Development Board has been unable to procure contractors for maintenance work due to complexities related to tendering.

The power station was constructed in 1962 at Kaptai in Rangamati, about 50 km away from the port city of Chattogram.

According to the plant's engineers, cracks mar the structural integrity of the generator installation infrastructure in Units 4 and 5. At the same time, ageing equipment, mainly the turbine in Unit 3, struggles to operate efficiently.

They said each turbine unit at the plant has a 10-year lifespan before requiring a complete overhaul. This overhaul involves significant repairs and potentially replacing worn components. 

Units 1 and 2 received their overhauls in December 2022 and in 2021, respectively, and are operating at full capacity. 

However, Units 3, 4, and 5 have not been overhauled since 2012, 2010, and 2011, exceeding their operational lifespan. This overdue maintenance is the primary reason for the plant's declining capacity.

Engineer ATM Abduzzaher , manager of the power plant, told TBS, "The overhauling process for units 4 and 5 has been initiated under the instruction of higher authorities. An expert team [of Toshiba] conducted an inspection recently and they will submit a report soon. Subsequently, the authorities will take necessary action based on the report."

A team of experts from the Japanese company Toshiba, responsible for manufacturing and installing the plant's Units 4 and 5, conducted a thorough inspection of the units between 23 February and 7 March this year. They said Unit 5 is unfit for operation. 

A comprehensive report detailing the necessary repairs for both units is expected from Toshiba soon.

However, there is a glimmer of hope for Unit 3. The plant's engineers believe that utilising spare parts could extend its life span for a few more years, but a full overhaul remains necessary in the long run.

Why the delay in maintenance?

In 2018, a Toshiba team inspected the plant for repairing Units 4 and 5. The Power Development Board issued a tender using the Direct Procurement Method in January 2019, in which Toshiba participated. However, the tender was cancelled due to a lack of competitors.

Subsequently, the Board issued three additional open tenders with conditions in December of the same year, as well as in May 2021 and January 2022. 

However, under the conditions of the international tender, only the Bangladeshi representative of Toshiba company had the opportunity to participate in all three tenders. This led to their cancellation following complaints from other Bangladeshi contractors. Since then, the matter has remained unresolved.

Maintenance cost set to rise 25%

Power Development Board officials warn that the delay in maintenance could inflate costs by 25%, due to global price hikes stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Following Toshiba's inspection in 2018 for the overhaul of Units 3 and 4, Toshiba estimated the cost to be around Tk100 crore at the time. However, due to the rise in the dollar exchange rate and increases in the prices of spare parts over the past five years, this expenditure could now go up to Tk130 crore.

Khandkar Mokammel Hossain, member (Generation) of the Bangladesh Power Development Board, told TBS, "The plant's manager has been instructed to start the renovation process. They are actively working towards this objective. Once they complete the necessary procedures, necessary action will be taken."