Matarbari Coal Power Plant, located in the island upazila of Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar, is set to resume production on Saturday (30 November), following a month-long suspension caused by a coal shortage.
Coal supply resumed after a hiatus, with a vessel carrying 70,000 tonnes of coal docking at the plant’s jetty on Wednesday (27 November) morning at 10:30am.
Additionally, another vessel carrying 66,000 metric tonnes of coal from Indonesia is scheduled to arrive on Sunday (1 December), further replenishing the plant's reserves.
According to Manowar Hossain Mazumdar, Superintendent Engineer (Operations) of the Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL), which operates the plant, the first 600-megawatt unit will restart operations on Saturday.
He revealed that following the resolution of legal complications, a contract has been signed with a joint venture between Meghna Group and Birla to import 35 lakh metric tonnes of coal annually.
The recent shipment of coal marks the beginning of fulfilling this agreement.
The facility had been entirely non-operational since 31 October, with its two units, capable of generating 1,200 megawatts, brought to a halt due to the supply crisis.
With the fresh influx of coal, the plant is poised to restore its capacity, providing a significant boost to the nation’s power grid.
