Matarbari Power Plant resumes production after one-month closure
Yesterday afternoon (30 November) the power plant resumed operation with the first unit supplying electricity to the national grid
The 1,200-megawatt Matarbari coal-fired power plant in Cox's Bazar has resumed operations after being closed for a month due to a coal shortage.
The power plant resumed operation on 30 November, with the first unit supplying electricity to the national grid.
The plant resumed production at 4:15pm on Saturday, with the first unit producing 180MW by 7:00pm.
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The suspension began on 31 October when the plant ran out of coal. To prevent further disruptions, Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) decided to import 35 lakh tonnes of coal over the next year.
On 27 November, an Indonesian-flagged ship carrying 70,000 tonnes of coal docked at the plant's jetty, enabling operations to resume.
Another shipment of 66,000 tonnes of coal was scheduled to arrive at the plant on Sunday (1 December), officials said.
The Matarbari coal-fired power plant, built on 1,600 acres along the Bay of Bengal, has a capacity of 1,200 MW. The first unit began commercial production in December 2022, followed by the second unit in August 2023.
However, coal shortages and technical issues have disrupted operations multiple times.
In October, the first unit's production halted due to a coal shortage, with the second unit following suit on 31 October. Earlier in July, a mechanical failure caused the suspension of production for two weeks.
