Fire at Meghnaghat: Steam turbine shut

A fire broke out at Meghnaghat 450 megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant on Monday evening, burning down its 150 MW steam turbine. Officials at the private sector power plant said the incident might have taken place from a mechanical fault triggering a big explosion that forced the authorities to shut its three units. A three-storey steel structure of the power plant collapsed following the explosion, bringing down the power supply at a time when its demand is on the rise due to the heat wave now sweeping the country. “The fire erupted at the power station around 7 pm yesterday forcing all of its three units to shut down,” a official said. Several fire fighting units rushed in from Daudkandi Upazila of Comilla district, Dhaka’s Demra and Narayanganj district and controlled the blaze after two-and-half hours of hectic efforts, said a deputy assistant director of Narayanganj Fire Service. Neither the officials of the power plant and the PDB, nor the firefighters could confirm the cause of the fire. When contacted PDB officials said it is not clear when the plant would be able to resume operation as the plant needs to complete a lot of formalities, including inspection by the insurance companies. The PDB has been purchasing electricity from the large power plant, being operated by Malaysian Pendeker Energy under a 22-year contract. However, no official from the Pendeker was available to comment over the fire incident. Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Power Secretary Monwar Islam and other senior officials visited the power plant on Tuesday morning, according to a news agency.