In a new development that is expected to provide some respite to Bangladesh’s protracted power issue, which has adversely impacted various industries including the country’s textile and readymade garment sector, the first unit of the coal-fired Matarbari Power Plant provided an initial addition of 150 MW of electricity to the national grid.
This was underlined by the Deputy Principal Information Officer, Mir Aslam Uddin, who reported that after a successful synchronisation with the national grid, the power plant supplied 150 MW of electricity precisely at 11:58 am on 30th of July.
The commissioning of the first unit marks the beginning of its trial run at the Matarbari location in Moheshkhali even as Project Director Abul Kalam Azad mentioned that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the unit in December of this year.
As part of a two-unit ultra-supercritical coal-fired thermal power plant, which is a joint undertaking with Japanese assistance and holds significant importance as one of the Government’s mega projects and estimated to cost Taka 518 billion, it is listed as one of the Prime Minister’s priority projects, is planned to have a generation capacity of 1200 MW.
The complete plant is scheduled to commence full-scale operation earlier than previously planned, with expectations to reach its full capacity in March or April next year, instead of the previously projected date of July 2024.
In terms of resource requirements, the entire plant will need 10,000 tonnes of coal per day, with each unit requiring 5,000 tonnes. As of now, there are already 200,000 tonnes of coal stored, and an additional 65,000 tonnes will be delivered to the production site on 7th August.
To facilitate efficient coal handling, four tanks with a storage capacity of 1.7 million tonnes have been constructed, along with two jetties at the project site. These jetties enable direct unloading of coal from ships to the tanks, streamlining the process and minimizing environmental impact.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
