Energy Bangla

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has sought to allow resettlement and rehabilitation programmes for the affected people to mobilise fund for implementing the controversial 1320MW Rampal Power Project near the Sundarbans.
BPDB fears that mobilisation of ECA loan for the mega power project would not be possible without taking any resettlement and rehabilitation programmes for the displaced population affected by the project.
BPDB secretary Md Jahirul Huque last week sent an official letter to Power Division Secretary to allow the re-settlement and re-habilitation programme as part of the Rampal Power project.
He said the BPDB has already acquired 1834 acres of land to implement the coal-fired power project at Rampal.
The BPDB has already paid over Tk 62.45 crore to the Deputy Commissioner’s office of Bagerhat for acquiring land, infrastructure and agricultural lands and compensating for damaged crops.
The local administration of Bagerhat has already acquired the land as per law, he informed.
The Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL) has already invited EPC for setting up the power project.
International lenders or banks will provide Export Credit Agency (ECA) loan evaluating the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the project.The Bangladesh government has a policy to provide compensation to the people affected by any project through re-settlement and re-habilitation programmes.
M/S Fichtner Germany Gmbh, the consultant firm for the project, has also recommended taking re-settlement and re-habilitation for people affected by the proposed project, officials concerned said.
“People those do not own land, but directly dependent on the acquired land for livelihoods should be compensated,” the firm proposed.
The government has already compensated the people affected by the Bangabandhu Bridge and Padma Multiple Bridge projects.
In a letter to BPDB last month, BIFPCL managing director UK Bhattacharya said, “You are aware that as a part of financial closure activities, the international banks would carry out due diligence on the project including a detailed diligence on the EIA and social impact of the project. This surely will encompass the resettlement and rehabilitation issues cited above.”
Talking about the re-settlement and re-habilitation issue for the Rampal Project, BIFPCL managing director told daily sun that the BPDB was supposed to acquire land for the project as per government law.
“It’s the duty of BPDB to provide the land for the project. I cannot say anything if the BPDB would require paying additional compensation to acquire the land,” he said.
He added the company will open the EPC tender on September 22, 2015 to implement the project.
Earlier on 5 June this year, environmental organisations including the National Committee for Saving the Sundarban, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, and Poribesh Bachao Andolan renewed their call to scrap the Rampal plant for the sake of Sundarbans.
In India, NTPC operates 25 thermal plants and another nine under in joint ventures. Six of these plants scored poorly on environmental parameters, rating a mere 16 to 28 percent compared to the best possible rating of 80 percent.
The BIFPC invited bid to select firm for EPC (Engineering Procurement Construction) of the Rampal plant on February 12, 2015.
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) had already formed a 14-member high-powered inter-ministerial committee to prepare recommendations over environmental impact of the proposed Rampal Power Project (PP), impact of recent oil spill and protection of the Sundarbans, and details report on the Sundarbans.
But since the formation of the committee, the ministry could not hold any meeting, sources said.
The Rampal power project was planned to be set up in a joint-venture between the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and the National Thermal Power Company of India, with 30 percent equity on equal share basis.
The rest of the fund has been planned to be mobilised as Export Credit Agency (ECA) loan. As per the new estimation, the equity sharing would also be increased to Tk 2,655.53 crore from Tk 2,176.29 crore each, officials said.