Aggreko, the global leader in the provision of temporary power and temperature control services, has signed an agreement with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDP) for the provision of 200MW of temporary power. The agreement has an estimated value of $150 million over three years, and will become effective as a contract following customary procedures and approvals.
Bangladesh has recently been affected by power shortages caused by increased industrial and domestic demand. Although the Government has embarked on an ambitious program to increase the capacity of the national grid, power demand is now exceeding supply, with the result that widespread power cuts are inhibiting economic development.
In order to bridge the immediate gap between power supply and demand, Aggreko will provide turn-key power packages to BPDP, which will feed power directly into substations connected to the national grid. 100MW of power will be provided at 132kV, with the other half provided at 33kV. All aspects of the power packages, from design, mobilisation and commissioning to operation and maintenance, will be provided by Aggreko. The first tranche of power will be operational on 1 July, with the entire project scheduled to be commissioned in August 2010.
The award of this contract is in addition to the 40MW that Aggreko has been operating since October 2008 at its highly successful plant near Khulna.
Rupert Soames, chief executive of Aggreko, said, “Building upon our previous successful performance in Bangladesh, I am very pleased that Aggreko will expand its relationship with BPDP through this most recent contract. Ensuring that industrial, agricultural and domestic users have a reliable power supply is vital to any economy, which is why Aggreko’s fast-track power provision is an excellent solution for BPDP. This 200MW, plant, to be delivered within a few months, will have a noticeable impact on the quality of power supply in the country, allowing the authorities to focus on the implementation of permanent power infrastructure.”