The second unit of the Rampal thermal power plant in Bagerhat returned to generation at about 8 am on Sunday after an eight-day shutdown caused by a mechanical fault, according to Anwarul Azim, the plant’s general manager for human resources.

Azim said production had stopped at about 11.30 am last Sunday due to a mechanical fault and that efforts were made to fix it quickly. “We are always trying to keep generation from Rampal uninterrupted,” he said.

“We have suffered losses because electricity generation was temporarily halted due to the mechanical fault,” Azim said.

The unit is now feeding 371 megawatts to the national grid, while the first unit is supplying 658 megawatts, Azim said. The electricity generated will be supplied to the national grid in stages according to demand.

According to the plant’s information, Bangladesh and India took the initiative to build the plant in 2010. The Bangladesh Power Development Board and India’s NTPC signed an agreement on January 29, 2012, under which Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL) was formed.