MAN engines powering Bangladeshi plants

MAN Energy Solutions is supplying generation technology for a new power plant in Sreepur, Bangladesh, and has successfully commissioned three other power plants in the cities of Chandpur, Thakurgaon and Narayanganj.

Combined, the four power plants will feed 445 MW into the national grid.

MAN Energy Solutions will supply nine MAN 18V48/60TS engines, with a total capacity of 150 MW, to the new power plant in Sreepur, a city north of the capital, Dhaka. Scheduled for completion in late 2023, the plant will be operated by independent power producer, B-R Powergen Limited (BRPL).

“Energy demand in Bangladesh is increasing by over 10% each year and we are pleased to once again contribute to the country’s reliable energy supply with the Sreepur project,” said Ghassan Saab, head of Region Middle-East Africa, Power Plant Sales, MAN Energy Solutions. “When all ongoing projects are completed, MAN will provide more than 1.5 GW of capacity across the country, representing around 10% of installed capacity. Our customers value the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of our technology.”

The Chandpur plant was successfully commissioned recently. Customer, Chandpur Power Generation, relies on a combination of four MAN 18V51/60TS and two MAN 20V45/60 engines, which feed a total of 125 MW into the national grid. Chandpur Power Generation is a subsidiary of Doreen Power.

With an output of around 26 MW per engine, the 20V45/60 achieves efficiency rates with a fuel utilization of over 50%. Furthermore, four 18V51/60TS engines with two-stage turbocharging are being used in a power plant for the first time. Units of this design have a low- and high-pressure compressor that operate in series, thus optimizing power density and efficiency, the company said.

“In Chandpur, the plant operators have chosen a particularly innovative engine setup,” Saab said. “The combination of our powerful 20V45/60 engines and the 18V51/60TS units with two-stage turbocharging guarantees maximum fuel efficiency and also enables a more compact plant design through higher power density.”

Another power plant, in the Thakurgaon district in the northwest of the country, was also recently handed over to customer, Energypac Power Generation Ltd. The facility is driven by six MAN 18V48/60TS engines with a total output of around 125 MW. During construction, the difficult-to-access location on the border with India presented tough, logistical demands as the region can only be reached overland. Since local road conditions did not allow for the large engines – each weighing 320 tonnes – to be transported by truck, they were accordingly dismantled into individual parts and delivered to the Thakurgaon plant for on-site assembly.

“For our team in Bangladesh, assembling the engines on-site presented a particular challenge and placed the highest demands on precise project management. However, our inherent flexibility means that we can guarantee energy supplies – even in hard-to-access regions around the world,” said Saab.

The fourth plant in Narayanganj, operated by KPPGL (Kanchan Purbachal Power Generation Ltd), is located 50 km east of capital, Dhaka, and uses three MAN 18V48/60TS engines with a total output of 58 MW to ensure power supply to the Rupganj region.