The government will import 60,000 tonnes of urea fertilizer worth Tk 493.55 crore from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar through an agreement.
The approvals came from the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) held on Wednesday virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
During the meeting, the CCGP approved 10 proposals involving Tk 4,640.88 crore.
Among the proposals were four from the power department, three from the industry ministry, two from the agriculture ministry and one from the road department.
Briefing reporters virtually after the meeting, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Md Shamsul Arefin said that the CCGP approved a proposal of the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) to import 30,000 metric tons (MT) of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Distribution Limited, UAE at a cost of Tk 246.77 crore.
Besides, another similar proposal of the same entity to import 30,000 MT of bulk fertiliser at Tk 246.77 from Muntajat of Qatar received the nod of the committee.
The cabinet committee approved a proposal of state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
As per the approval, Arefin informed that the BPDB's Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with private firm Venture Energy Resources Limited will extend for another 4 years to get electricity from the existing 40 MW gas-fired rental power plant in Bhola.
For this purchase, he said, the BPDB will have to spend Tk 380.90 crore during the extended contract period.
However, the power tariff has been lowered to 3.3970 US cents (Tk 2.7176) from 3.49 US Cents (Tk 2.79) per kilowatt hour (each unit) which will save Tk 49.88 crore in the next 4 years, he added.
The CCGP also approved a proposal of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) to procure 32,400 SPC poles from the Joint Venture of (1) Castle Construction Company Limited and (2) Poles and Concrete Limited at a cost of Tk 31.59 crore.
The committee also approved another BPDB proposal to purchase electricity from a 70 MW grid-tied solar power plant to be set up by the Consortium of (1) Daehan Green Energy Company Limited (2) HI Korea Company Limited and (3) Pabna Solar Power Limited at Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district.
The BPDB will purchase electricity from the plant at 10.15 US cents (equivalent to Tk 8.12) per kilowatt hour which will involve a cost of Tk 1,843.20 crore over the contract period of 20 years.
The CCGP also approved another proposal of the BPDB for purchasing electricity from a 50 MW grid-tied solar power plant to be set up by the Consortium of (1) Total Eren S.A., France; (2) Norwegian Renewables Group AS, Norway and (3) Urban Services Ltd, Bangladesh.
The BPDB will purchase electricity from the plant at the same rate of 10.15 US Cents (equivalent to Tk 8.12) per kilowatt-hour over the contract period of 20 years involving a cost of Tk 1,315.20 crore.
