Another coal-fired power plant in pilot production in Patuakhali

Power plant superintendent says electricity from this unit would be gradually supplied to the national grid

Another coal-fired power plant in Patuakhali has begun production, with the first unit of the 1,320 MW plant in Kalapara Upazila now connected to the national grid.

The first 660 MW unit of the thermal power plant under construction started trial production at midnight on Saturday.

Ashraf Uddin, the superintendent of the power plant, said electricity from this unit will be supplied to the national grid in phases. Currently, 110 MW of power is being generated.

This is the second coal-fired power plant in Patuakhali, following the launch of another plant with the same capacity in Payra.

The Kalapara plant is located on the banks of the Ramnabad River, just two kilometres north of the Payra power plant.

Ashraf said the full 660 MW of power from the plant's first unit will be supplied to the national grid in phases. Efforts are under way to begin power generation from the second 660 MW unit by next March.

“Already, 110 megawatts of electricity generated by the plant is being supplied to the national grid,” he said.

The thermal power plant, built on 915 acres of land in Londa village of Dhankhali Union in Patuakhali’s Kalapara Upazila, is estimated to cost Tk 270 billion.

Officials and employees of the power plant expressed happiness at the beginning of electricity generation after overcoming various adversities.

The construction of the power plant, a joint venture between China’s state-owned Norinco International Power Company Limited and Bangladesh’s state-owned Rural Power Company Limited, began on Aug 31, 2019.