US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said his country will continue to uphold top position as foreign investor in Bangladesh.
The USA is No. 1 in foreign investment in Bangladesh and it will continue with the apex position in the days to come, he added.
Peter Haas made the statement while visiting 584 MW Unique Meghnaghat Power Limited (UMPL) on Wednesday.
Goseph Giblin, Chief of the Economic Unit at the US Embassy in Dhaka, Chowdhury Nafiz Sharafat, Managing Director of UMPL, Md Noor Ali, Chairman of the company, and Mohammad Zahiruddin Molla, CEO, among others, were present, reports Daily Sun.
Peter Haas reached the power plant by a helicopter and was received by Chowdhury Nafiz Sharafat with a bouquet of flowers.
Strategic Finance Limited, Unique Hotel and Resorts Limited and GE Consortium appointed GE as contractor on June 25, 2018 to construct 584MW gas-based combined cycle power plant at Meghnaghat in Narayanganj. Afterwards, Nebras Power Investment Management BV participated in the project with 24 percent equity share.
The project initiators signed implementation agreement (IA) with PGCB and other government departments; power purchase agreement (PPA) with Bangladesh Power Development Board and gas supply agreement (GSA) with Titas Gas Transmission & Distribution Company Limited. On August 30, 2019, deal with American multinational company General Electric Company (GE) was also inked.
The project entrepreneurs have 25 percent equity share while Standard Chartered Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, German Development Bank and OPEC Fund for International Development bear the 75 percent cost.
The power plant is set to go for commercial operation in October this year (2023) as 92 percent of the project work has already been completed.
The project is fully environment-friendly. Various schemes are underway to offset the damages caused to the people affected by the venture. Monthly allowance to the distressed people, construction of river ghat and approach road, skill development training and facilitating economic activities of the villagers are some initiatives to be named.
Deepesh Nanda, Chief Executive Officer of GE Gas Power in South Asia, said GE Gas is contributing to Bangladesh’s power sector and committed to supply gas at affordable price.
GE is proud to be a part of UMPL project and the power produced from the plant can be supplied to 7 lakh household clients.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
