Power generation at the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant has been suspended once again, just 15 hours after operations had resumed, due to a fresh mechanical fault.
Two officials at the plant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first unit went offline at around 11:00 am on Saturday after a boiler tube ruptured. Repair work is expected to take four to five days.
Earlier, at 10:02 pm on Wednesday, two of the unit’s four coal mills malfunctioned, forcing a shutdown. Following repairs, the unit resumed operations at 8:07 pm on Friday, supplying approximately 55 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.
Of the plant’s three units, two were already out of service. With the only operational unit now shut down again, the facility’s total power generation has come to a halt.
Although electricity from the Barapukuria plant is supplied to the national grid, it plays a vital role in stabilizing power in the northern region, helping to reduce load shedding and mitigate low-voltage issues.
According to officials at the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant, the facility comprises three units with a combined generation capacity of 525 megawatts (MW). The first and second units each have a capacity of 125 MW, contributing a total of 250 MW, while the third unit has a capacity of 275 MW.
The plant has been operating under significant constraints in recent years. The second unit, with a capacity of 125 MW, has remained shut down since November 2020. The third unit, capable of generating 275 MW, has also been out of operation since November 1 last year due to mechanical faults. As a result, power generation at the facility has long depended on a single functioning unit.
Despite these challenges, the plant’s chief engineer has expressed optimism about restoring operations. He indicated that the third unit is expected to resume production by the 15th of next month.
Efforts are also underway to bring the second unit back online, with discussions ongoing between the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and a Chinese company.
To support the restart process, a four-member committee has been formed to oversee the reactivation of the second unit. A decision is expected soon. The initial estimated cost of restoring the unit has been set at $23 million, though the final figure may vary depending on the outcome of negotiations.
