Coal shortage may hit production at Matarbari Power Plant

OUR CORRESPONDENT
COX'S BAZAR, Sept 09: Matarbari Coal-based Thermal Power Plant in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar may fall into a production uncertainty due to unavailability of required quantity of coal.
Recently the 1,200 MW power plant comprising two units has been in full production.
However, with the amount of coal stored in the centre, production will continue for one and a half months, according to the power plant officials. At the same time, security risks have also increased in the project.
Matarbari coal-fired power station is one of the mega projects undertaken during the Awami League regime. A total of Tk518. 54 billion (Tk51,854 crore) has been spent for its construction.
Of the two units, one of 600 MW capacity came into production in July 2023 while production in the remaining 600 MW unit was initiated in December last year.
Some 2.225 million (22.5 lakh) tonnes of coal was brought through Japan's Sumitmo Corporation for commissioning the plants. According to the contract, the Japanese firm will deliver the last supply of coal by mid-August.
Currently, 280,000 tonnes of coal supplied by the company is left. With this, production can be continued for one to one and a half months.
According to the project insiders, coal was supposed to be purchased before the end of the stock supplied by Sumitmore, but due to corruption by the top officials, the purchase was stopped.
Coal Power Generation Company invited international tenders for three years' supply of coal, sources said.
However, project director Abul Kalam Azad delayed giving the facility for ten months to Meghna Group's Unique Cement Consortium.
At the end, in view of the petition of the consortium of Bashundhara, Equintia and Authro, alleging irregularities, the High Court banned the import of coal for six months in July last. As a result, coal import is facing uncertainty in the long term.
Coal Power Generation Company Supervising Engineer (Management) Manowar Hossain Majumder said, "If supply of coal is not ensured, production will stop after two months."
Meanwhile, theft of valuable items including cables from the project site is happening very often.
On August 31, the navy seized four containers of electric cables worth Tk 1.5 billion (Tk 15crore) while being smuggled in a barge. In connection with the incident, a case has been filed against the project director and MD of the power plant, Abul Kalam Azad and some security officers with the Maheshkhali Police Station.
Assistant Security Officer Mizanul Hasan said about his theft, the cables were not invoiced with the gate pass while taking the cables through the container.
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