Wärtsilä has maintained the economic growth of Bangladesh through the provision of electricity generating capacity for 20 years. This support is continued with the latest contract for a 113MW power plant to be delivered to Chowmuhoni, Bangladesh.
The order was placed by HF Power Ltd and was booked in April. HF Power is part of the Hosaf Group, one of the largest and fastest growing companies among the private sector manufacturing and service-based enterprises in Bangladesh.
An important element in Wärtsilä’s successful share of the Bangladeshi power market has been its ability to deliver on a fast-track basis. The country’s government is committed to providing a reliable electricity supply to both industrial and domestic consumers. For example, in 2016, only 76% of the country’s houses were connected to the grid, and the aim is to increase this to 98% by the year 2021. The urgency of this programme calls for the fast development of new generating facilities. Wärtsilä has repeatedly shown that it has the flexibility and capacity to meet this need.
This latest order for 12 Wärtsilä 32 engines running on heavy fuel oil (HFO) is scheduled for delivery in October this year. The new plant is expected to be fully operational by June 2019.
HF Power chairman Mr Moazzam Hossain said: “Our need is for generating equipment that is highly efficient, highly reliable, and that can be delivered in line with a very tight schedule.
“Wärtsilä’s reputation and local presence is strong and we feel very confident that they are the right company for this project.”
Wärtsilä Bangladesh managing director Mr Jillur Rahim noted: “This is another very important order that will help bring additional electrical power to this region.
“This, in turn, will encourage the growth of local industries and, therefore, will create new jobs. We at Wärtsilä are delighted to be able to be involved in this positive development.”
During the past 12 months, Wärtsilä has previously booked orders for ten power plant projects in Bangladesh. Today, Wärtsilä provides about 25% of the total grid capacity in the country and when fully operational in summer 2019, the new plant will bring Wärtsilä’s total power supply to Bangladesh to more than 4300MW.