95% of Matarbari Coal Power Plant project completed
The construction of the coal-fired power plant in Matarbari has seen 95.9% completion as of February, said South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun after visiting the project site.
Lee visited the Matarbari site on Tuesday to observe the work being done by 75 Korean engineers and to encourage them, reads a press release.
During the visit, Lee also said that Korean companies are actively involved in major infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, including Taeyoung E&C's involvement in the Bhandal Juri water supply project and Samsung C&T's role in the construction of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Terminal 3.
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Despite the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic during the launch of these projects, they received high commendation from Bangladesh authorities for their punctuality and high-quality outputs. Due to their outstanding reputation, he added, Korean companies are anticipated to expand their operations in major infrastructure construction projects in Bangladesh.
The Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal Fired Power Project involves building a coal-fired power plant with the capacity of generating 1,200 megawatts (MW) of power and affiliated facilities over a period of seven years with the funding provided by JICA.
Japan's Sumitomo, Toshiba, and IHI are collaborating as a consortium to implement the project, with POSCO E&C subcontracted to construct the major part of the plant.
As part of its commitment to supporting the region's economy, POSCO E&C has employed some 4,000 local workers daily on average.
Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the construction of the coal-powered plant began in March 2020 and proceeded without delay. In order to meet the completion target day, POSCO E&C has worked day and night without a day off since the project's inception.
It is anticipated that the first unit of the coal-powered plant will start commercial production in January 2024, with the second unit following in July of the same year.
The Matarbari coal-fired power plant project is expected to improve electricity supply in the region, thus supporting the economic development of Bangladesh and well-being of the Bangladeshi people.
