Bangladesh, ADB jointly review projects to improve development results -- The government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Sept. 12 jointly reviewed ADB-funded projects in the country to further improve development results. Kazi Shofiqul Azam, secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of Bangladesh, and Manmohan Parkash, country director of ADB, co-chaired the Tripartite Portfolio Review Meeting (TPRM) in Dhaka. The TPRM discussed the status of overall portfolio and prioritized actions to achieve targets, said an ADB statement. It said the government project executing agencies were briefed about and encouraged to use the new procurement policy approved in 2017. ADB has currently 94 loans and grants for 55 projects with over 9.5 billion U.S. dollars under sovereign portfolio.
More than 7,000 PPP projects registered in MOF -- At the end of July, 7,867 PPP projects had been registered in a national data bank, seeking a combined investment of 11.8 trillion yuan (1.74 trillion U.S. dollars), according to the China Public Private Partnerships Center under the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Some 3,812 projects have been signed with a total investment of 6.1 trillion yuan, and 1,762 projects have entered into the construction phase with investment totaling 2.5 trillion yuan. The MOF has intensified the crackdown on "zombie" PPP projects. Some 2,148 projects have been eliminated, with investment totaling 2.5 trillion yuan.
Light rail transit projects in Thailand's Chiang Mai, Phuket given green light -- Light rail transit projects for major tourist spots in northern and southern Thailand have been given the green light. Thailand's cabinet approved on Sept. 11 the two light rail projects -- one in the northern province of Chiang Mai and the other in the southern provinces of Phuket and Phang Nga, which usually attract millions of visitors yearly, said Ministry of Transport spokesman Sarawut Songsiwilai. According to assistant MRTA governor Sarot T. Suwan, the construction of Phuket's light rail project will begin in 2020 and is expected to have initial operational capability in 2023. It is designed to have 21 stations along the way, including 19 ground stations, one elevated station and one underground station covering a distance of 58.5 kilometers between Phuket and Phang Nga, he said.
ADB provides 357 mln USD for Bangladesh to develop power lines -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Bangladesh Monday signed agreements for 350 million U.S. dollars in loan and 7.5 million U.S. dollars in grant for a project to develop two power lines in support of Bangladesh's national target of electricity for all by 2021. In addition to a 350 million U.S. dollars ADB loan, the assistances comprise a 7 million U.S. dollars grant, which will finance new high-technology energy efficient conductors, said the Manila-based lender in a statement. Another 500,000 U.S. dollars grant will promote socially inclusive growth with gender equality, it said.
COIDIC, Djibouti FTZ ink MOU on oil reservoir and supporting infrastructure project -- China Overseas Infrastructure Development and Investment Corporation (COIDIC) and Port of Djibouti and Administration of Free Trade Zone (FTZ) inked memorandum of understanding (MOU) on oil reservoir and supporting infrastructure project during the 4th Investing in Africa Forum held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province on Sept. 6 The oil reservoir and supporting infrastructure project marks an important achievement made by COIDIC and Djibouti in the field of energy and infrastructure. Based on the MOU, COIDIC has been granted the exclusive right to explore the project. Upon completion, the project will become the first large oil reservoir facility in the region and produce a far-reaching influence on development of the regional economy.
Bangladeshi, Indian PMs jointly inaugurate rail projects, power supply -- Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Sept. 10 jointly inaugurated the construction works of two railway projects and 500 mw power supply to Bangladesh through video conferencing. According officials, the rail projects, Kulaura-Shahbajpur Section Rehabilitation of Bangladesh Railway and Akhaura Agartala Duel Gauge Rail Connectivity (Bangladesh part), will be jointly funded by Bangladesh and India. They said Kulaura-Shahbajpur Section Rehabilitation project would restore the train link between Bangladesh and India as a part of the Trans-Asian Railway Network. Through the same function, the two prime ministers also inaugurated the 500-mw power supply to a Bangladesh-India Power Interconnection Grid at Bheramara in Bangladesh's Kushtia district, some 135 km west of capital Dhaka.
Chinese builders help Morocco restructure energy mix via solar power projects -- Looking north from Rabat, capital of Morocco, a tower measuring 248 meters high shines in the sun. It is the tallest solar tower in the world, which is built by a Chinese construction company as part of Morocco's Noor III Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) project. In order to reduce dependence on energy imports, the Moroccan government has been actively developing renewable energy, and plans to raise the proportion of renewable energy to the total energy consumption to 42 percent by 2020. Chinese builders came to Morocco to provide a solid fulcrum for the energy restructuring of this North African country. Since 2015, Shandong Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd (SEPCO III), a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China, has undertaken the construction of NOOR II and NOOR III CSP projects in Ouarzazate.
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