Matarbari Coal-fired power plant set to be inaugurated on November 11

Matarbari Coal-fired power plant is going to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 11 (Saturday).

Power Division officials have confirmed this saying that they have been taking all necessary preparations to make the programme a success.

According to official sources, the first unit (600 MW) of the 1200 MW ultra super critical technology-based one of the largest power projects, funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), was already synchronised with the national grid on July 29 this year.

"Now synchronizing the second unit of the project," a top official of the Power Division told UNB.

Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCL), a subsidiary of state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), set up the 1200-MW power plant, having two units, on 1,414 acres of land in Matarbari and Dhalghata unions of Maheshkhali upazila of Cox‍‍`s Bazar district.

JICA has been financing the project under which a deep-sea port is also being developed to facilitate coal unloading from ships.

The work of the jetty for the coal discharge with the power plant is almost finished. Vessels have also started sailing at the jetty.

Sources said the Prime Minister will inaugurate the deep sea port as well along with the power plant.  

Some 13,104 tonnes of coal will be required daily to generate electricity at full scale. Coal discharge jetties and silos have been constructed for this.

Coal required for 60 days has been kept in the huge silos. Up to 80,000-tonne-capacity mother vessels can directly enter the coal jetty. And it will take one and a half to two days to unload the coal from the mother vessel.

Two separate ash ponds are kept to store ash for a lifetime of 25 years of the power plant. One has an area of 90 acres, another spread over 600 acres. Coal yard has been prepared on 80 acres of land for coal storage.

A loan agreement on the project was signed between the Government of Bangladesh and JICA on June 16, 2014. The project cost was estimated at Tk 51,800 crores including Tk 43,921 crore project support by JICA.

According to project sources, construction of the jetty and physical infrastructure work has already been completed.

Officials of the CPGCL said that the project was implemented ensuring all necessary measures to prevent environmental pollution.

A ship carrying  64,300 tonnes of coal for the Matarbari plant first arrived from Indonesia on June 23 this year.