Power sector road map!
The road to power sector's objective of providing 7X24 power for all is very bumpy, though mapping the road is easier. Getting the road finished is easier said than done! On the matter an essay was published in a local English daily on October 9. Road maps were drawn with pious wishes, backed by popular and much welcomed pre-election speeches. Now in the real world, we see only a yawing gap 'between the cup and the lips'. Between the promises and reality in this case.
Awami League was elected, but where is the power production of 7000MW by December 2010, now just three months away? "Gone with the wind", as we see now! With a few rental power plants, on a good day, when our old (past retirement age) power plants give their all, the plateau we sometimes reach, on weekends, when demand is low, is 4000MW, if we are lucky! Today the AL government harps on 11000MW by the end of 2015, another dream, that will also never see the light of the day.
However, the writer's proposal that the 24 existing unreliable and malfunctioning power plants can be renovated, is nothing but wishful thinking and dreams only. Firstly, we have to change the fuel, from natural gas to coal or oil. Next, the whole boiler plant or gas turbine has to be re-designed and built from scratch! Pragmatically, it is easier, cheaper and faster to build a green field power plant than rebuilding the existing set-up with many limitations to the fuel and combustion control and boiler tube and bed layout along with redesigned air and fuel circuits, among other auxiliary equipments. The undersigned had hands-on experience in converting a coal fired small (only 10MW) power plant, and from re-design to commissioning, it took over two years, back in 1967.
The reality is that if we plan to provide 11000MW power on 24X7 basis continuously, then we must have, ready to run, power plants totalling 13,200MW. This is the fact, as we must have at least 20% ready available reserve plant capacity, so that the running plants have their scheduled boiler cleaning, repairs, replacement and maintenance; otherwise plant reliability will suffer! This need for reserve power has not been stated by any of our power experts till date! Further, lest we forget, by 2015, at least another 800 to 1000MW of the now running power plants will be inoperable and will have to be taken off line!
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