With a higher GDP growth rate than India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bhutan, Bangladesh is going full steam ahead for mega infrastructure projects, viewing them as crucial drivers for economic growth and employment. The country’s focus is on megacities such Dhaka and Chattogram and power hubs in Payra, Moheshkhali and Matarbari. There is a push for an integrated communication network—the Padma bridge, a river tunnel under Karnaphuli, the Dhaka Elevated Expressway from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali, and the Dhaka-Chattogram highway are part of this effort. A proposal to build another international airport near Dhaka is under active consideration. A Nippon Koei Bangladesh Ltd study for the ministry of civil aviation and tourism says the budget required for the airport would be around Taka 50,000 crore (more than Rs 43,000 crore). A second airport, named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation, is part of plans to promote tourism and trade, and to accommodate a higher volume of air traffic. That aside, the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram as well as airports in Cox’s Bazar, Rajshahi, Jessore, Saidpur and Barisal are set to be expanded and modernised. Here’s a look at Bangladesh’s major infrastructure projects:
Going Mega For Growth
A rural, riverine idyll pockmarked by ugly politics? No, spanking-new airports, under-river tunnels and high-speed rail unveil a new Bangladesh, South Asia’s own tiger economy.
Dhaka Airport
The Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka is being expanded to double the airport’s annual flyer and cargo capacity to approximately 20 million and 500,000 tonnes respectively. Scheduled for completion in 2022, the $42.1-million project has been awarded to Japanese firm Nippon Koei.
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Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Rail
A new railway link connecting port city Chattogram and tourism hub Cox’s Bazar is expected to open in 2023. The Max Group is building the $2.012-billion project in two phases. It will link Dohazari village to Cox’s Bazar and proceed thereon to the Myanmar border and a planned deep-sea port on Matarbari Island.
Dhaka-Chattogram Railroad
The Dhaka-Chattogram high-speed railway project, with a budget of around $1.4 billion, is planned on a new 230-km Dhaka-Cumilla/Laksam-Chattogram route. The design is such that trains can reach speeds up to 300 kmph. Bangladesh Railway, China Railway Design Corporation and Mazumder Enterprise are jointly building the project.
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Rooppur N-Power
The 2,400 MW Rooppur nuclear power project is being undertaken with Russian cooperation, including a $11.38-billion funding. The $12.65-billion project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), with JSC Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Russia’s Rosatom, as general contractor.
Matarbari Power Plant
The Matarbari coal-fired power plant, a $4.5 billion project, is being built in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar district, on the state-owned Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh’s (CPGCBL) watch. The construction contract was given to a consortium of Sumitomo, Toshiba and IHI, while the completion year is 2023. The plant will account for 10 per cent of Bangladesh’s electricity generation capacity.
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Moheshkhali LNG Terminal
The Moheshkhali Floating LNG (MLNG) is a completed megaproject with up to 500 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d) of regasification capacity. The $179.4-million project has been undertaken by Excelerate Energy, Petrobangla, and International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Rampal Coal Power
The 1,320-MW coal-fired Rampal power station in Bagerhat, Khulna, is 14 km north of the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sunderbans. It will be the largest power plant of Bangladesh. It is being built by BIFPCL (Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited), a joint venture between National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) of India and Bangladesh Power Development Board.
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