Production at the first unit of the Barapukuria coal-fired thermal power plant in Parbatipur Upazila of Dinajpur has resumed after a brief disruption caused by a technical fault, offering some relief to Bangladesh’s strained power supply system.
The 125-megawatt unit went back into operation on Friday night following two days of shutdown.
Chief Engineer of the power plant Abu Bakkar Siddique confirmed the matter, saying that the unit started supplying around 55 to 60 megawatts of electricity to the national grid from 8:30pm, gradually stabilising output after the restart.
Earlier, the power plant had been forced to suspend operations on the night of 22 April due to mechanical complications.
The issue was triggered by stones mixed with the coal used as fuel, which disrupted the plant’s machinery and required immediate repairs.
Engineering teams worked to resolve the problem, and after necessary maintenance, the unit was successfully brought back online. At present, the unit requires approximately 700 metric tonnes of coal per day to sustain its operations.
Although the Barapukuria power plant has a total installed capacity of 525 megawatts across multiple units, not all of them are currently functional. The second unit, for instance, has remained shut since November 2020, limiting the plant’s overall output capacity.
Chief Engineer Abu Bakkar Siddique expect the restoration of the first unit will help ease pressure on the national grid. He expressed optimism that the resumed generation would play a key role in reducing load-shedding, particularly in eight districts across the northern region, where power shortages have been more pronounced in recent days.
