LTL offers its O&M expertise to Bangladeshi market
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Sri Lanka’s LTL Holdings, amongst its expansion and diversification plans in Bangladesh, is actively trying to do what it is best at – offering Operations and Maintenance services to the Bangladeshi market.
Operations and Maintenance (O&M) is the performing of day-to-day activities expected to maintain facilities (buildings, grounds, equipment, systems) to the maximum extent possible for the benefit of the facility users.
In this sphere, LTL with its largest investment outside Sri Lanka through Lakdhanavi in Bangladesh has a multitude of projects lined up, Thamaka Thimbiripola, Country Manager Lakdhanavi Ltd. Bangladesh told the Business Times at the company's head office in Dhaka recently.
Having entered the Bangladeshi power sector in 2011 as a contractor to set up thermal power plants for Bangladeshi independent power producing (IPP) entities, the company has made a notable mark in the power sector after 12 years by completing power plants in record time.
“We are a successful developer and a turnkey contractor. We have close to one thousand megawatts covered in Bangladesh of the country's installed capacity. Of this, 218 megawatts are our own investments,” Mr. Thimbiripola said. The power sector players in Bangladesh have been very receptive to the work Lakdhanavi has done, he added. “This is because we made sure that we stick to the highest level of engineering and industrial standards when implementing projects. The level of quality is especially high in our projects. We have an exceptionally good O&M supported by our senior management in Sri Lanka and there is very close monitoring done by Sri Lanka. This is one of the reasons why we want to extend our O&M services to third parties and also to the Bangladeshi Power Development Board.”
The company's three power plants - at Natore in northern Bengal, at Cummila near the Dhaka Chittagong Highway, and the latest one implemented in 2017 in Feni is a testament to Lakdhanavi’s claims of maintaining high standards.
Mr. Thimbiripola noted that the company had a role to play in improving its operational standards, mainly because the company is very stringent when it comes to compliance, engineering, and environmental standards. “For all these, we have operating procedures. This has been one of the successes in our story.”
The company has taken on an O&M supervising contract for one of the power plants. A few feasibility studies are also being done for players who went to enter the power sector but don't have the capabilities, capacity, and expertise, Mr. Thimbiripola said. “We are trying to offer services in carrying out techno, commercial viability assessments for many of the upcoming renewable energy projects in Bangladesh.”
Spare parts and raw materials supply businesses are also on the company's radar for expansion. “We are trying to enter into supplying spare parts. We usually cater to our own demand through our Singapore sourcing office. But we feel that with the established experience we can come in as a spare parts and raw material supplier to the Bangladeshi market.”
The company is also looking to get into feed manufacturing and producing some protein-based supplements using poultry waste. “We are conducting an extensive feasibility study in this sector.”
Spare parts and raw materials supply businesses are also on the company's radar for expansion.