The Payra power plant came to a complete halt in electricity production around 12pm on Monday due to the depletion of coal reserves caused by the ongoing dollar crisis.
Engineer AM Khurshedul Alam, managing director of Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BCPCL), stated on Monday afternoon that it will take at least 20-22 days to import the required coal.
He said: "As far as I know, coal loading will commence within 1-2 days. If all goes well, the coal will arrive at the power station within the next 20-22 days."
"The quantity of coal being shipped aligns with our demand for the upcoming month. From now on, coal will be delivered on a monthly basis," he added.
According to sources from the power plant authority, an average of 13,000 tons of coal per day is necessary to generate 1,320 units of electricity, with each unit requiring 660 tons of coal. Consequently, 390,000 tons of coal is required over a period of 30 days.
Currently, CMC is responsible for importing all the coal from Indonesia. However, due to the dollar crisis, coal bills have remained unpaid for the past six months.
The outstanding amount for coal until April of this year stands at approximately $390 million (around Tk4,000 crore). In response, the Bangladesh Bank and the government have already paid approximately $100 million towards the debt.
