Rampal power plant seeks Tk1,000cr urgently to sustain operations
According to recent media reports, Rampal power plant has supplied between 8% and 11.5% of electricity to the national grid.
Highlights
- Monthly coal cost of the plant exceeds Tk700cr
- Extra Tk300cr needed for other expenses
- Funds requested by 20 May
- Rampal supplies up to 11.5% of national power
- BPDB dues linked to unpaid subsidies
- Company warns of loan default risk
- Coal imports may face disruption
Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (BIFPCL) has urgently sought Tk1,000 crore from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to maintain uninterrupted operations at the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant , also known as the Rampal power plant, one of the country's largest power generation facilities.
In a letter sent to the BPDB chairman on 10 May, the company's Managing Director Ramanath Pujari said delays in fund release could cause the company to default on loan repayments. He also warned of possible disruptions in coal imports and exposure to demurrage charges.
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As banking operations will end on 24 May due to Eid-ul-Adha holidays, he requested that the funds be released by 20 May. TBS has seen the letter.
Attempts to contact the BPDB chairman and power secretary for comments on whether the requested funds would be released were unsuccessful.
The letter said the 1,320MW Rampal plant is currently supplying electricity to the national grid with a dependable capacity of 1,234MW.
According to the letter, daily coal expenses amount to Tk24 crore to Tk26 crore, pushing monthly coal costs above Tk700 crore.
An additional Tk300 crore is needed to meet debt servicing obligations, customs duties, spare parts procurement, operations and maintenance expenses, and other liabilities.
The power company said the government currently owes it more than Tk1,000 crore for electricity supplied. If the funds are not released quickly, financial and operational obligations may become difficult to meet.
The Rampal plant currently plays a major role in the country's electricity supply system. According to recent media reports, it has supplied between 8% and 11.5% of electricity to the national grid.
The Friendship Power Company's data show the plant generated more than 700 million units of electricity in April 2026, accounting for over 9% of total national generation that month.
Earlier, in December 2025, the plant alone produced 640 million units, supplying 11.5% of the country's total electricity generation.
Energy sector insiders said any disruption at a large plant like Rampal during peak summer demand could place immediate pressure on the national grid. This could increase load-shedding and require more expensive diesel- and furnace oil-based plants to operate, raising generation costs further.
Complaints of load-shedding have increased recently in different parts of the country. At the same time, concerns have grown over power management due to gas shortages and pressure on imported electricity supply.
Earlier, in another letter sent to the BPDB chairman on 24 March, the company requested Tk903 crore to repay $40 million in principal on a loan taken from India's Exim Bank for construction of the power plant.
A BPDB official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said BPDB owed nearly Tk1,200 crore to the Rampal plant at the end of April. However, the dues remain unpaid because the government has not released its subsidy portion. BPDB has repeatedly urged the finance division to release outstanding power sector subsidies.
A finance division official, also requesting anonymity, said Tk36,000 crore has been allocated for power subsidies in the revised budget for FY2025-26. Of that amount, around Tk20,000 crore had been released as of 30 April.
However, the allocated budget will not be enough to cover subsidy payments, as BPDB has so far claimed nearly Tk50,000 crore in subsidies this fiscal year for public and private power plants.
