Khulna power station (Orion)
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Khulna power station (Orion) is a cancelled power station in Burirdanga, Mongla, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh. It is also known as Labanchara, Burirdanga.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Khulna power station (Orion) | Burirdanga, Mongla, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh | 22.571219, 89.566212 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- ': 22.571219, 89.566212
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|
| cancelled | coal: unknown | 660 | supercritical |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Owner | Parent |
|---|---|
| Orion Power Khulna Ltd [100%] | Orion Power Khulna Ltd [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Indonesia
Background
In June 2012, the Bangladesh Power Development Board signed three agreements with Orion Power to set up three private coal-fired power plants in Khulna, Chittagong, and Mawa, Bangladesh totaling 1,200 megawatt capacity. It was reported the Chittagong power station (Orion) would have a generating capacity of 282.67 MW.[1][2]
In April 2013, it was reported that the 283 MW Chittagong power station (Orion) would be merged with the Khulna power station into a single 565 MW plant at Khulna.[3]
In May 2014, it was reported that Orion had signed agreements with Alstom and Doosan worth US$189 million to prepare primary designs for turbine equipment for the plant. The plant would use coal from Indonesia.[4]
According to a progress report on the Orion Group website (accessed September 2015), contracts for the boiler, turbine, and generator were signed with Alstom on January 27, 2014. SEPCO III was finalized as EPC contractor, with signing expected in December 2014. An EIA report had been submitted to the Department of Environment, with two meetings held with DOE in August and September 2014, and a final edited Environmental and Social Impact Assessment filed on October 29, 2014. The thermal plume data was completed in February 2014, and plume modelling was completed by AECOM in Singapore and submitted to DOE. Primary data for river modelling was completed by IWM on February 4, 2014. River modeling was in progress at the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology. A geotechnical survey was completed, with 23 boreholes tested.[5]
According to the company website, the plant was expected to be "advanced supercritical" rather than supercritical, with boiler parameters of 595 degrees C and 250 bar. The company expected 42% efficiency.[6]
Project stalled
In August 2016, The Daily Star reported that the project was stalled. Orion had applied for environmental clearance for the Khulna power plant in July 2013, but the EIA had still not been cleared.[7]
As of October 2016, despite photos on the Orion website showing some preliminary site work, there were no news reports on developments since 2014, and financial closure did not appear achieved. Additionally, in response to widespread public opposition and global pressure, officials within the power ministry began making statements that they would pursue natural gas and renewables over coal. Plans for the plant appeared to be shelved or cancelled.
Project suspended
In March 2018, the Bangladesh Post described the project as suspended.[8]
The plant was not listed in the Bangladesh 2016 Master Plan "Revisited", released in November 2018.[9]
Project cancelled by government
In June 2021, the Bangladesh State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources announced the government was officially dropping ten coal plant projects in its master energy plan totaling over 8 GW of power due to delays in implementation. The Khulna power station (565 MW) was among the ten cancelled coal plants.[10]
Public opposition
Like the Rampal power station, the Khulna coal proposal by Orion was opposed for being situated near the Sundarbans mangrove forest, a UNESCO world heritage site. In 2015, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee requested an assessment of activities related to river dredging to enable construction of the power plants “to ensure activities are not conducted before the revised EIA is submitted to the World Heritage Centre.” Civil society organizations in Bangladesh and India called on UNESCO to add the Sundarbans World Heritage sites in both countries to the List of World Heritage in Danger based on threats from the Rampal and Orion Khulna coal-fired power plants.[11]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Orion Group Bangladesh’s first private firm to build coal power plant," OpenBlogBD.com, June 27, 2012
- ↑ "Orion to build 3 power plants," The Daily Star, June 28, 2012
- ↑ "Orion yet to finish finance for 1117MW powerprojects," New Age, April 7, 2013
- ↑ "Orion signs deals for generators for its 660MW power plant," Star Business Report, May 11, 2014
- ↑ "Ongoing Progress: Orion Power Khulna Ltd.," Orion Group, accessed September 2015
- ↑ "Gallery: Orion Power Khulna Ltd.," Orion Group, accessed May 2016
- ↑ "Coal power loses steam," The Daily Star, January 3, 2016
- ↑ "No progress in 19 power plants yet," The Bangladesh Post, March 9, 2018
- ↑ 2016 Master Plan "Revisited", Bangladesh Power Division, November 2018
- ↑ "10 coal-fired power projects scrapped as part of master plan revision," UNB, June 27, 2021
- ↑ Kate DeAngelis, "Bangladesh coal projects put human health and pivotal ecosystem at risk," FOE, March 9, 2016
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
