Dhaka, Dec. 11 -- At a time when the government has been emphasising austerity and efficiency in the energy sector, two repowering projects aiming to add 825 MW to the national grid at the state-owned Ghorashal Power Station have missed their scheduled deadline to start operating.

It is cheaper for the government to purchase electricity from state-owned plants than private ones with their higher tariffs.

Repowering is the process of replacing older power stations, or units at power stations, with newer ones that either have greater capacity or more efficiency, resulting in a net increase of power generated.

According to a government document, seen by UNB, the two projects are the repowering of 416 MW Unit-3 and the 409 MW repowering of...