Another Power Project In Bangladesh

Wärtsilä has been awarded another contract to supply power generating equipment to Bangladesh.

This latest order, which was booked in October, is for a 100 MW power plant project in Chittagong being built by Karnaphuli Power Ltd., owned by Baraka Group. It is the seventh order that Wärtsilä has received this year for power generating equipment from Bangladeshi companies.

The baseload plant will be powered by six Wärtsilä 50 engines running on heavy fuel oil (HFO). The project is being executed on a fast-track basis, and Wärtsilä’s ability to comply with a demanding delivery schedule was another important factor. The Wärtsilä 50 engine has a bore and stroke of 500 X 580 mm and is designed to run on natural gas, light fuel oil (LFO) or HFO. The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery in January 2018, and the plant is expected to be operational four months later, in May.

“In order to support its social and economic growth, Bangladesh has an urgent need for more generating capacity. Wärtsilä has the flexibility to respond to this need by providing fast-track deliveries and strong locally based expertise,” said Jillur Rahim, managing director, Wärtsilä Bangladesh.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Wärtsilä on this project as they have gone out of their way to meet our requirements, both with their equipment and the delivery arrangements. With such a demanding schedule, we needed full cooperation and Wärtsilä has provided it,” commented Faisal Ahmed Chowdhury, Chairman, Baraka Group.

The government of Bangladesh is making a strong effort to increase the number of households with access to electricity. As of 2016, only 76% of the country’s houses were connected to the grid, and the aim is to increase this to 98 percent by the year 2021.

When operational, the Karnaphuli plant will bring Wärtsilä’s total power supply to Bangladesh to more than 4000 MW.