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Head lines Malaysian firm’s power plant proposal approved SHAHNAJ BEGUM, The Independent The cabinet council committee for government purchase yesterday approved an unsolicited proposal for installation of a 130 MW barge- mounted power plant in the northern part of the country. Westmontpower BD Ltd, a Malaysia-based company, submitted this proposal to the PDB on September 8, 2000. In its offer letter it said that ‘the second proposed project’s cost would be about 40 per cent less than the first project at Baghabari, Sirajgonj.’ Sources said this is an independent project. Iqbal Hasan Mahmood, State Minister for Power, told The Independent that "according to the terms and reference of the IPP (independent power producer) policy, we approved the proposal." "Westmont did not ask for government guarantee or minimum guarantee for this project. We purchase power from them as ‘take and pay’ not on ‘take or pay basis," he added. However, according to the IPP policy, the PDB should buy 50 per cent of the total production capacity of electricity at any cost. PDB sources said due to this stringent rule, they would have to pay about Tk 50 to 60 crore extra money to the IPPs. The cabinet council committee for government purchase, headed by Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman, approved the proposal of Westmontpower at its meeting yesterday. A simple cycle power plant would be in operation after six months of signing the power purchase agreement (PPA). According to the proposal, the tariff would be US $ 2.79 per KWH of electricity. The sources said the cabinet committee also approved the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s proposal of purchasing six lakh tonnes of MS crude and octane and 1,260,000 tonnes of diesel from the open market. Energy Ministry sources said this quantity would be enough to meet the country’s fuel demand for the next six months. Gen Mosharraf’s letter handed over to Khaleda BSS, DHAKA, The Independent Visiting Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan Armed Forces General Muhammad Aziz Khan yesterday handed over a letter from President General Parvez Mosharraf to Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. The Pakistan President in his letter expressed the hope that he would meet the Bangladesh Prime Minister on the sidelines of the OIC Summit due in Kuala Lumpur from October 16-18. President Mosharraf also hoped that the summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) would adopt meaningful common programmes for spreading education, alleviating poverty, improving health care and ensuring social justice for the entire Muslim Ummah. During his courtesy call on Begum Zia at the Prime Minister’s office yesterday afternoon, Gen Aziz also conveyed greetings of Pakistan Prime Minister Zafrullah Khan Jamali and said he (Jamali) is also eager to meet her during the SAARC summit to be held in Islamabad in January next. Begum Zia requested Gen Aziz to convey her best wishes to President Mosharraf and Prime Minister Jamali and said she is also looking forward to meeting the Pakistan leaders. Gen Aziz, now in Dhaka on a five-day official visit to Bangladesh, appreciated Bangladesh’s role in UN peacekeeping missions. He also lauded the high standard of Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT), National Defence College and Staff College, where foreigners, including members of Pakistan armed forces, take training. Gen Aziz spoke highly of the development Bangladesh achieved during the last two years under the leadership of Begum Zia and hoped that the country would proceed further in the days ahead. Describing the existing relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan as excellent, the Pakistan General hoped that the ties would be further consolidated in future. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Siddiqui, Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of Armed Forces Division Maj Gen AM Mahmud-Uz-Zaman and Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka Iqbal Ahmed Khan were present. STAFF REPORTER, The Independent The International Literacy Day will be observed in the country today. The government and different Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) have chalked out elaborate programmes to mark the day. The United Nations also declared 2003-2012 as the ‘Literacy Decade’. Primary and Mass Education Ministry will hold a function at the Osmany Memorial hall auditorium in the city in observance of the day and the UN Literacy Decade. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will inaugurate the function, as the chief guest while Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman will be present as special guest. Prof Jahanara Begum, Primary and Mass Education Affairs Adviser to the PM will preside over the function. Non-Formal Education Department under the Primary and Mass Education Ministry will launch a four-day programme including colourful procession, Mass Education Fair, street drama, slide show on mass education in cinemas and cultural function. The department will bring out a procession at 8.30 in the morning from Central Shaheed Minar in the city that will end at the Osmany Memorial Hall premises. A "Mass Education Fair" will be held at the Jatiya Press Club auditorium in the city at 3pm today. Prof Jahanara Begum will be present at the programme as chief guest. A daylong literacy festival will also be held at the LGED Bhaban in the city in observance of the day. Action Aid, Bangladesh, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, two other NGOs –FIVDB and FPED will jointly organise the programme. Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad will inaugurate the programme as chief guest while Prof. Dr. Tahmina Hossain, Secretary for Primary and Mass Education Ministry and Wolfgang Vollmann will be present as special guests. Meanwhile, Dhaka Bahai Society and Minority Rights Commission will jointly organise a discussion meeting at the Society’s auditorium in the city on the occasion. Democracywatch, Education and Institute of Lifeskill and Information Technology will jointly bring out a procession from the Jatiya Press Club in the city at 10.30 am today to mark the day. PM receives Musharraf's letter BSS, Dhaka, The Daily Star PM receives Musharraf's
letter Photo: PID Aziz also conveyed Pakistan Prime Minister Zafrullah Khan Jamali's greetings to the PM during his courtesy call and said Jamali is eager to meet her during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit to be held in Islamabad in January next. Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf in his letter expressed his eagerness to meet the PM at Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit due in Kuala Lumpur from October 16-18. The OIC summit would adopt meaningful programmes in alleviating poverty, spreading education, improving health care and ensuring social justice for entire Muslim Ummah, the letter said. Begum Zia requested Aziz to convey her best wishes to President Musharraf and PM Jamali saying she was also looking forward to meet the Pak leaders. Aziz, now on a five-day official visit to Bangladesh, praised Bangladesh's role in the United Nations peacekeeping missions. He lauded the high standard of Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training, National Defence College and Staff College for providing training to army personnel at home and abroad. The Pak general also commended the progress Bangladesh achieved during the last two years under Begum Zia's leadership. He also hoped the ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan would be strengthened. Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Siddiqui, Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division Maj General AM Mahmud-uz-Zaman and Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka Iqbal Ahmed Khan were present during the courtesy call.
Baghabari power plant UNB, Dhaka, The
Daily Star Following the approval, Westmont authorities expect commissioning of the peaking power plant from the third week of December this year. Officials said the private-sector power producer's proposal was a favourable one as there is no need of government guarantee, neither any provision for mandatory payments if no purchase of electricity from the company is made. "Since there is no mandatory provision of purchasing any minimum amount of electricity from the plant, the purchase committee allowed the sale of gas to it at the same tariffs that apply to PDB," a senior official told the UNB. The power-purchase tariffs of the Baghabari plant will also be less than the rates taken by other independent power producers (IPPs). The Westmont offer for per unit electricity is Tk 2.79, which is lower than prices offered by other IPPs, industry sources said. The purchase rate is even lower than the price charged by another Westmont plant, which sells electricity at Tk 3.20 per unit. "All these features encouraged the purchase committee to give the go-ahead, agreeing to sell gas at the same price as Bangladesh Power Development Board," said the senior official. After the endorsement, Westmont management expects to press the plant into operation in the shortest possible time. "Earlier we had a plan to begin operation within six months of the approval. Now we expect to start operation from December 17 this year," Tazul Islam Faruk of Westmont told the UNB after the approval. The committee, meanwhile, also approved a procurement proposal for fuel oils worth Tk 414 crore. The planned imports include 6 lakh barrels of petrol and octane, and 12.6 lakh barrels of diesel, official sources said. |
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Visiting
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan Armed Forces
General Muhammad Aziz Khan calls on Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at her
office yesterday.