DHAKA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese consortium has been constructing Bangladesh's first eco-friendly power plant with ultra modern clean coal technology at Payra in Patuakhali district, some 204 km south of capital Dhaka, near a maritime port.

In March last year, Bangladesh signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with the consortium of two Chinese firms for the installation of some 1.56 billion U.S. dollars coal-fired power plant.

Officials of the consortium of the Chinese firms -- China Energy Engineering Group Northeast No. 1 Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd. (NPEC) and China National Energy Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. (CECC )-- and the Bangladesh-China Power Company Limited (BCPCL), a joint venture of China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladesh's North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL), had then signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

The 1320 MW Thermal Power Plant Project (1st phase will be eco-friendly with clean coal technology and have two units which are expected to be commissioned in April and October, 2019 respectively.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has recently visited the plant construction site and expressed his deep satisfaction with the progress of the work.

"We're building this power plant with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government's own finance, Chinese government's finance and Chinese Exim Bank financing. We are satisfied with the progress of the project so far achieved," he said.

"You can see the quality of work. They are building a super-critical coal fired power plant here. So far 31 percent work has been done."

Hamid said Chinese companies have finished the their tasks so far before scheduled times. Quality of work is good, he added.

"We do believe that we will get a cost effective power plant here," he said and added this power plant will be the best one among other power plants so far built in Bangladesh.

The consortium of the Chinese firms is assigned for the plant's engineering, procurement and construction while BCPCL is its executing agency.

The project will cost an estimated 1.56 billion U S. dollars.

The plant which is to be built on a 397-hectare land is a part of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government's plan to set up a series of coal-fired power projects to generate 40,000 MW electricity by 2030. Officials say the consortium has a schematic plan for implementing another mega project of the same capacity and technology, 100 MW solar and 50 MW wind power plant projects at the same location.

It intends achieving excellence in power generation and power growth of Bangladesh.