Adani’s Godda plant starts power supply to Bangladesh
3 min read . Updated: 09 Apr 2023, 07:40 PM IST
Premium- The electricity supplied from Godda will significantly improve the situation in the neighbouring country as it will replace expensive power generated from liquid fuel, bringing down the average cost of power purchased
NEW DELHI : Adani Power Ltd has announced the commissioning of its first 800 MW ultra-super-critical thermal power generation unit at Godda in the Jharkhand district of India and begins supplying Bangladesh with 748 MW of power.
A company statement said that the electricity supplied from Godda will significantly improve the situation in the neighbouring country as it will replace expensive power generated from liquid fuel, bringing down the average cost of power purchased.
“The Godda power plant is a strategic asset in the India-Bangladesh’s long-standing relationship," said S.B. Khyalia, CEO, Adani Power.
“It will ease the power supply in Bangladesh, making its industries and ecosystem more competitive. It is going to be the most efficient and environment-friendly thermal power plant installed in India and entire South-East region and also one of the best in class in the world. It is the first power plant in the country, which has started its operations from Day One with 100% Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD), SCR and Zero Water Discharge."
In November 2017, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) executed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with APL’s wholly-owned subsidiary Adani Power Jharkhand Limited (APJL) to procure 1,496 MW net capacity power from 2X800 MW ultra-supercritical power project at Godda.
India’s largest power producer in the private sector is expected to commission its second 800 MW unit soon. The project was, however, delayed amid the pandemic and non-completion of the transmission infrastructure in Bangladesh.
The company statement noted that Bangladesh has one of the largest liquid fuel-based power generation plants in the Indian sub-continent region. The installed capacity of heavy fuel oil (HFO)-based plants is about 6,329 MW and high-speed diesel (HSD)-based plants is about 1,290 MW, totaling to over 7,600 MW.
As per BPDB’s annual report for the financial year 2021-22, the total tariff of HFO-based plants is around BDT 22.10/kWh (USC 21/KWh) and total tariff of HSD-based power plants is around BDT 154.11/kWh (USC 149/KWh), which is far higher than the tariff of Godda Power Plant (Energy cost estimated to be around 9 cents/KWh). Though at present, Bangladesh has long-term PPA ties with three other imported coal-based generators, total tariff of Godda TPP is competitive compared to peers, the Adani Power statement said.
In an exchange filing, the company said: “This is to inform that Unit 1 of 800 MW capacity of the 2x800 MW ultra-supercritical power project of Adani Power (Jharkhand) Limited (APJL), situated in Godda district in Jharkhand, has achieved commercial operations. APJL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Power Limited, will supply power under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for corresponding net capacity of 748 MW from Unit 1 to the Bangladesh Power Development Board."
“Pursuant to the above, APJL has started processing its claims under the PPA with effect from April 6, 2023," it said.
The company statement said that despite several challenges, including unprecedented waves of Covid-19, Adani Power Jharkhand Limited had successfully synchronized the first unit with the power grid of Bangladesh on 29 November 2022 through a dedicated transmission line from Godda to Bangladesh in the presence of representatives from the government of Bangladesh.
Subsequently, the requisite transmission evacuation system on the Bangladesh side was commissioned in March 2023. Accordingly, APJL again synchronized the unit 1 on 20 March 2023.
The Reliability Run Test, including Commercial Operation Tests, was completed on 5 April 2023 in the presence of competent authority from BPDB and Power Grid Corporation of Bangladesh (PGCB) officials, it said.
The Godda Power Plant comprises two units of the latest technology available in the world, which is “Ultra Super Critical Technology" with latest techniques for controlling emissions and consumption of coal and water.
The Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) have been installed in the plant to minimise the emission and meet the latest environment norms of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF). This plant is going to be one its kind in India and in Bangladesh, operating on the latest environment emission norms.
Adani Power has an installed thermal power capacity of 13,610 MW spread across seven power plants in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, apart from a 40 MW solar power plant in Gujarat.