Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company (BIFPCL) has been receiving bids from global firms for coal transport and transshipment for the 1,320 megawatt (MW) Maitree Super Thermal Power project at Rampal in Bagerhat district.
The selected bidder will be responsible for transportation of coal through designated load ports to offshore the transshipment site by standard bulk carriers of the Indo-Bangla joint venture company.
The services will be provided by dedicated transshipment facilities, which include transshipment vessel and self propelled barges.
The transshipment facilities are to be designed and put in place using build, own, operate (BOO) model by the selected bidder.
The bid submission deadline is June 19, 2019.
Coal will be sourced from Indonesia, South Africa, and Australia, said a senior company official.
Around 11,000 tonnes of coal will be required everyday to run the power plant with 85 per cent plant factor.
The BPDB will purchase electricity generated by the plant from the power plant for 25 years.
The power plant project is set to be efficient and utilise super-critical technology.
It will require less coal and produce low ash, said the official.
The BIFPCL, a joint venture (JV) between state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), has been implementing the power plant project.
India's state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is building the power plant as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.
The contract value is US$ 1.49 billion, which will be financed by Indian Exim Bank.
The total project is, however, around $2.0 billion.
The BPDB and the NTPC has 50:50 equity shares in the joint venture.
This is the maiden JV power plant between Bangladesh and India.
It would be the NTPC's first power plant venture outside India.
The power plant, to be located on 1,834 acres of land, will run on imported coal.
