7 out of 8 Ashuganj power units now operational

These started functioning from Monday. This the first such record in three years that seven units are functioning at a time, sources at the power station told this correspondent yesterday. One gas turbine unit is still out of order due to various technical faults.

The Ashuganj Power Station has an installed capacity to generate 720 MW electricity. But the generation had declined gradually due to lack of timely over-hauling and reached 400 MW a day.

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Often generation units go out of order because machines and old, which are being run after repair.

Five units remained stopped last month due to technical fault while two others were limping.

Seven units have been started somehow after repair but it can not be said how long they will remain operational, the sources said. They are now producing 479 to 500 MW of electricity a day.

If the all units were properly renovated, they could generate more than 600 MW power, they claimed.

All the units crossed their deadlines much earlier but they are yet to undergo major overhaul, they claimed.

When contacted, its Managing Director Md Shahidur Rahman Khan said overhaul of one 150 MW unit will start on December 22, to be followed by another after nine months.

State Minister for Power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud visited the power station on Tuesday and expressed satisfaction that seven out of eight units are functioning.