Max Group and GE Power have commissioned a 163MW combined-cycle power plant in the Sylhet division of Bangladesh.

GE-9E.03 gas turbine

Image: GE Power has helped MAX Group commission its 163MW power plant in Fenchuganj. Photo: courtesy of General Electric.

The power plant, which is owned by Bangladeshi conglomerate Max Group, is expected to generate enough electricity to meet the power consumption needs of around 200,000 homes in the region.

Located in Fenchuganj, the new power plant is operated by Kushiara Power (KPCL), a project company of MAX Group. KPCL had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to supply all the power produced from the plant.

MAX Group is also the owner of a 78.5MW simple-cycle power plant located in Ghorashal, which operates on GE’s LM6000 gas turbine.

MAX Group founder and chairman Ghulam M Alomgir said: “The successful commissioning of the power plant in Fenchuganj is a showcase of our focus on enhancing the local capabilities to match the global standards.

“We worked with GE Power to bring the best-suited technology for our power plants and the global experience in terms of project execution.”

GE Power had supplied a 9E.03 gas turbine, SC2 – 26 steam turbine, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), condenser and distributed control system (DCS) for the 163MW power plant. The equipment are part of a contract signed in 2015 by GE Power with KPCL to provide the complete power island engineered equipment package (PI-EEP).

GE South Asia gas power systems CEO Deepesh Nanda said: “Bangladesh’s power sector is moving up the value chain by embracing the latest technology, wherein the local players have a significant role to play.

“Today, GE is powering its customers forward to grow faster and stay relevant. Our long-standing association with MAX Group is one such example. Our teams were able to deliver the project in record time, benefitting the customer with significant cost savings.”

In another development, GE Power said that it has introduced its new DLN2.6+ Flex upgrade solution for 7F Gas Turbines, aimed at delivering broader emissions-compliant operating range and to facilitate faster startup times.

The upgrade is also expected to bring down minimum load emissions in gas-fired power plants by more than 20%.