The government is planning establishing an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) company for the power sector to lead the operations and maintenance of power sector facilities to the maximum extent possible with internal resources and expertise.

Having state-run O&M Company will help Bangladesh save approximately 20 percent of the total annual development budget in the power sector, sources said.  

The Power Division under the ministry of power and energy has already prepared a position paper to formulate the company, officials confirmed.

Bangladesh’s power sector has been facing a shortage of construction supervision, installation, pre-commissioning and post commissioning teams to set new power plants or maintain the old ones.

Besides, the power plants have been facing the lack of specialized tools and equipments to maintain the plants in the absence of a specialised company, officials said.

The state-run specialized company with be formed with highly capable engineering team to help prepare complete documentation and lead the process for drawings of all equipment, dismantling and reassessment procedures and re-commissioning procedures.

“The operations team will conduct minor, combustion, hat gas path, major inspections and lead the process for overhauling power sector facilities,” an official of Bangladesh Power Development Board said.

He added the existing power plants will all the operational and maintenance support from the company.
The power sector will also get an internationally qualified workshop, subject to establishing of the O&M company.            

“We are spending millions of dollar for operation and maintenance,” former BPDB chairman Khaled Mahmood told the Daily Sun, welcoming the government’s move to set up such an entity.

“I think the government should run the company through public private partnership initially as it can get support from internationally renowned companies. Then they will get capacity to run the plants by themselves,” he said.

Power Cell Director General Mohammed Hossain said the government is planning to establish the M&O company to improve the capacity in power sector.

The power division has asked state-owned Asuganj Power Station Company Ltd to prepare detail plan for establishment of the company. But it failed to submit a concrete plan to power division, official sources said, adding that the process being delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.