SS Power Plant, the 1320-megawatt power plant located at Gondamara of Banshkhali in Chattogram, has successfully started commercial power generation. The power plant’s one unit of 660-megawatt capacity has started supplying electricity to the national grid at full capacity from 12:01 a.m. on 18 September 2023. Prior to that, officials from the Power Development Board (PBD) conducted inspections at the power plant.
The power plant, which started its official induction into the national grid on 14 January, has two units, each with a capacity of 660 megawatts. The first and second units began their test runs, respectively on 24 May and 28 June. Now, the country’s leading industrial conglomerate, S. Alam Group, Chinese company SEPCOIII and HTG owned SS Power Plant’s one unit go into full-fledged commercial power generation.
Md. Ebadat Hossain Bhuiyan FCA, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), SS Power Plant, said, “Today is an exciting day for the people of our country. With the cooperation of PDB and all concerned, we have successfully started commercial production of the SS Power Plant on 18 September at 12:01 a.m. and that electricity is being added to the national grid. I strongly believe the commercial production of this power plant will contribute significantly to the daily lives of the people and the national economy.”
This thermal power plant at Banshkhali holds great importance in various aspects. It is the country’s first large private coal-based thermal electricity project. This power plant, by far, is the highest investment from a single private entity, with an investment of $2.6 billion, or tk 28,000 crore. Moreover, S. Alam Group holds the record for facilitating foreign investment in a private project. In this project, leading home-grown company S. Alam Group owns 70 percent of the stake, whereas the rest of the 30 percent stake is owned by Chinese companies SEPCOIII and HTG.
As a result of the full operation of the power plant, expansion of local industries, and improvement of the living standards of the people will also add a new dimension to the overall economic progress of the country. Compared to other power plants, the SS power Plant’s electricity will be more cost-efficient. If it is in full production, it will be able to supply about 2.93 crore units of electricity per day and about 88 crore units per month.
Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Xi Jinping, President of China, jointly initiated the project of the SS Power Plant in 2016 after the Power Development Board (PDB) and SS Power signed an agreement. After the commencement of operations, the SS Power Plant has been successfully brought into commercial production much earlier than other power projects.