C T Online Desk: After being shut down for a month due to coal crisis, production resumed at Rampal coal-fired power plant at 11:30pm on Wednesday.
Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL) Project Director Subhash Chandra Pandey gave this information in a press conference at Maitree Super Thermal Power Project area in Bagerhat at 11:30am on Thursday.
He said: “After Rampal Bangladesh-India Friendship Thermal Power Plant was closed due to coal crisis, a foreign ship with 30,000 tons of coal arrived at Mongla port on February 9. With that 30,000 tons of coal, the first unit of 660-megawatt capacity of Rampal power plant started producing electricity and supplying electricity to the national grid on Wednesday night.”
“The generated 100MW electricity is being supplied to the national grid since 11:30pm. Gradually increasing production, the first unit will produce full power within this month and supply power to the national grid,” he added.
He also said that a foreign ship with 55,000 tons of coal from Indonesia will arrive at Mongla port on Sunday for the power plant. 5,000 tons of coal is required to run the first unit of the power plant every day.
With the assurance of regular coal import from Indonesia, the Rampal plant has no further constraints in power generation, he added.
Subhash also said: “At the same time, there will be no harm to the environment for this 1,320MW power plant. Power production of the second unit of the Rampal power plant will start in June.”
He also hopes that the ongoing load shedding in the country will stop when the power plant is commissioned.
