Meanwhile, another power plant with a capacity of 1,320 megawatts is set to be added to the country’s power generation capacity. The coal-based power plant, utilizing ultra-supercritical technology, is located in Kalapara, Patuakhali, and is now awaiting approval from the Ministry of Power and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to begin production activities. The plant is expected to be connected to the national grid by December. Once it starts production, the country's total capacity of coal-based power plants will reach 7,312 megawatts.
RPCL-Norinco International Power Limited (RNPL) has jointly constructed the power plant. The plant has already stocked 128,000 tons of coal for commissioning and starting production. The company will invite tenders for long-term coal supply within the next few days. According to RNPL, although the plant will be connected to the grid in December, its first unit (660 MW) is expected to begin production in March of the following year. RNPL aims to provide full capacity power supply from the plant by June. However, project-related officials have stated that the plant is ready to begin production anytime, provided the BPDB or the Ministry of Power requests it and a back-feed power connection is available.
The power plant has become operational when the country’s ultra-supercritical technology-based power plants lack sufficient fuel. Due to a gas shortage, production has been halted at three large capacity (around 2,000 MW) power plants in Meghnaghat, Narayanganj. At the same time, BPDB has a large outstanding bill for power purchases from these plants. As a result, when RNPL's new plant begins supplying electricity, BPDB's costs for bill payments will increase. On the other hand, if the plant is not kept in operation, BPDB will have to pay a significant amount in rent for its large capacity.
Other large coal-based power plants are currently unable to produce electricity as required due to a fuel shortage. The 1,200 MW Matarbari power plant is shut down due to the fuel crisis and is not expected to be operational before December. Meanwhile, the 307 MW Barisal Electric Power plant is also closed. Of the two units at the 1,320 MW Rampal power plant, only one unit is operational. One unit of the private SS Power plant has also been shut down. Additionally, power supply from one unit of Adani’s plant in India has been halted. Among these, the Payra 1,320 MW power plant, currently operating at full capacity, will take one of its units offline for maintenance starting November 7. According to sources from BCPCL, this unit will remain closed for about two months.
Experts say the ongoing production crisis at the country's coal-based power plants is due to the lack of a specific and long-term plan for importing fuel or securing the necessary funding. The absence of such a plan, combined with excessive reliance on fuel imports, is preventing the operation of these large-capacity power plants.
Energy expert Professor M. Tamim told Bonik Barta, "The ultra-supercritical technology-based power plants were approved primarily to reduce electricity production costs. However, a crisis has arisen due to the lack of a long-term and coherent plan for importing fuel for these plants. There needs to be a clear plan for how these plants will be operated. These plants cannot be left idle to make them economically viable."
The current capacity of coal-based power plants in the country is 5,992 MW. Adding the capacity of the RPCL-Norinco power plant, the total installed capacity of power plants in the country reaches 7,312 MW. The RPCL-Norinco power plant is located in the Dhankhali Union of Kalapara Upazila in Patuakhali. This joint-investment plant is 50 percent owned by the state-owned Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL), while the remaining 50 percent is owned by the Chinese company Norinco International Cooperation Limited. The total cost of constructing this power plant was 2540 million dollars. According to RPCL, the project's physical progress has exceeded 90 percent as of October, while the financial progress stands at 79 percent.
According to sources from RNPL, the company had requested a shutdown of the Payra-Gopalganj 400 kV double-circuit transmission line from November 1 to 8 in order to connect the power plant to the national grid. However, the transmission line is currently used for electricity transmission from the Payra power plant (1,320 MW) in Patuakhali. As a result, BPDB informed that there is no opportunity to shut it down and connect RNPL’s power plant to the grid. The BPDB stated that if electricity from Payra is cut off, there is a risk of widespread load shedding across the country.
A senior official from the Ministry of Power, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Bonik Barta, "A meeting was held on November 4, chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Power, regarding the commissioning of the RPCL-Norinco power plant. Officials from RNPL, BPDB, and PGCB were present. RNPL had planned to start the plant on November 1, depending on receiving backfeed power. However, due to concerns over increased electricity demand and the risk of further load shedding, the Ministry of Power and BPDB has decided not to provide back-feed power. As a result, the timeline has been extended, and the plant is now expected to be connected to the grid by mid-December."
RNPL's power plant will require approximately 12,000 tons of coal daily. The company has already imported fuel for the plant in three phases. However, despite being prepared, the plant's production has been delayed by at least four months due to the inability to shut down the transmission from Payra.
In this regard, the Managing Director (MD) of RPCL-Norinco International Power Limited, Engineer Salim Bhuiyan, told Bonik Barta, "One unit of the power plant is ready. Backfeed power is now required to start the plant. Although it was supposed to be provided earlier this month, it will not happen immediately. Backfeed power will be supplied by mid-next month. After that, the first unit will be operational by mid-March. The plant is planned to be fully operational by June 2025."