Rupsha combined-cycle power project is an 800MW gas-fired combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) being developed in Khulna district of Bangladesh.
North-West Power Generation Company (NWPGCL), an enterprise of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), is implementing the project with an estimated investment of approximately £860m ($1.14bn).
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The preliminary (PDPP) for the Rupsha combined-cycle power plant was approved in August 2014.
The Ministry of Power Energy and Mineral Resources (MoPEMR), Bangladesh granted the project development proposal approval for the project proposal in November 2017.
The Rupsha power project involves two 400MW combined-cycle generating units as well as a natural gas pipeline and a power transmission interconnection. Both the units of the plant were originally scheduled for commissioning in 2022.
However, the construction works on the project were temporarily suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020.
Location and site details
The Rupsha combined-cycle power project is located in Rupsha near Khalishpur, in the Khulna district in Western Bangladesh.
The project is being developed on a 50-acre site in an abandoned government industrial site belonging to Khulna Newsprint Mill (KNM) of Bangladesh Chemical Industries (BCIC).
Rupsha combined-cycle power plant make-up
The Rupsha CCPP will consist of two combined-cycle generating units of 400MW capacity each that will be utilising zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology.
Each combined-cycle unit will be equipped with one dual-fired GT26 gas turbine and one heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) from Ansaldo Energia, and one steam turbine from Shanghai Electric in a one-on-one multi-shaft configuration.
The power plant will utilise natural gas as the primary fuel and high-speed diesel (HSD) as an emergency backup fuel.
The gas supply facility will feature natural gas regulating and metering station (RMS), while the HSD supply facility will be equipped with two 15,000m3 high-speed diesel storage tanks.
The plant will be equipped with air-cooled condensers and low NOx emission control technology for better environmental performance.
The auxiliary components of the plant will include feedwater pumps, condensate extraction pumps, air compressors, gas booster, cooling towers, two-three phase step-up transformers (15kV to 230kV), and a 70m-tall flue stack.
Natural gas supply
The Rupsha combined-cycle power station will receive natural gas from the existing Khulna City Gas Station (CGS) in Arongghata through a new 24in, 10km-long underground gas pipeline.
The maximum operating pressure of the pipeline will be 400 pounds per square in gauge (psig).
Sundarbans Gas Company (SGCL) will deliver natural gas from the Khulna CGS to Rupsha power plant, while national gas utility Petro Bangla is responsible for procuring liquefied natural gas (LNG) from international sources and delivering the re-gasified LNG to the Khulna CGS.
SGCL and NWPGCL signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of natural gas to the Rupsha power project in April 2017.
Electricity transmission
The power generated from the gas-fired facility will be transmitted to the national grid at the existing Khulna substation through a 29.3km-long 230kV transmission line.
Financing for the Rupsha combined-cycle power plant
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan amount of £377 ($500m) for the Rupsha power project in June 2018.
The government of Bangladesh is providing approximately £255m ($338m) for the power project, while the Islamic Development Bank agreed to co-finance approximately £226m ($300m) for the project.
The project also received grant finance of £1.13m ($1.5m) from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, provided by the Government of Japan.
Contractors involved
A consortium led by Chinese power equipment maker Shanghai Electric (SEC) and including Italian firm Ansaldo Energia (AEN) was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the 800MW Rupsha combined-cycle power project in November 2019.
Ansaldo Energia, in June 2020, announced the total contract value to be approximately £267m ($350m).
The Italian firm will be responsible for the manufacture and supply of two GT26 gas turbines along with generators, the HRSGs, and other auxiliary systems, apart from providing on-site support for construction and commissioning of the project.
Shanghai Electric will be responsible for the plant construction activities and supply the steam turbine generators for the project.
India’s L&T Construction was contracted for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of power transmission infrastructure for the Rupsha combined-cycle power project in March 2020.
China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering (CPP) was awarded the EPC contract for the natural gas pipeline connecting the plant in November 2018.
Malaysian firm MinConsult received the owner’s engineer services contract for the Rupsha gas-fired power project in September 2018.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was engaged for the biodiversity impact assessment of the Rupsha power project in July 2017.
