Reza Mahmud :
A sudden shortage of coal has forced the supercritical Matarbari coal-fired power plant to drastically cut electricity production, while recurring technical issues have brought India’s Adani power plant to a complete halt-raising concerns over potential power shortages across Bangladesh this summer.
Energy experts have expressed alarm over the situation, warning of increased load-shedding during the post-Eid reopening of schools, colleges, and offices.
Eminent energy expert Professor Dr Ijaz Hossain told The New Nation on Saturday: “Coal shortages at power plants during the summer are highly concerning.
With educational institutions and offices resuming after Ramadan and Eid, any mismanagement in the energy sector will inevitably lead to public suffering due to load-shedding.”
He urged the authorities to take urgent measures, including maintaining adequate coal reserves, to avert a crisis.
Sources at the Matarbari power plant confirmed a significant reduction in electricity generation following the rejection of a contaminated coal shipment.
On 11 April, output plummeted to just 162 megawatts-a stark contrast to the plant’s usual 800-1,000 MW capacity, depending on demand from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB).
Data from PGCB shows that from 6 to 12 April, the plant’s output hovered between 150 and 162 MW, raising fears of instability in power supply to key regions, particularly Chattogram and parts of Dhaka.
BPDB Chairman Md Rezaul Karim explained that the disruption stemmed from the rejection of a coal-laden vessel due to contamination. “We returned the shipment after detecting impurities such as stones, mud, and excessive moisture,” he said.
The rejected shipment-Matarbari’s 11th-arrived on 17 March with 63,000 tonnes of coal. Port authorities faced difficulties unloading the cargo as the conveyor belt system repeatedly malfunctioned during the process.
Since November 2024, coal for the Matarbari plant has been supplied by a consortium comprising UCIL (a sister concern of Meghna Group) and AGBT (a concern of India’s Aditya Birla Group). The rejected shipment was carried on the Singapore-flagged vessel MV Orient Orchid, operated by Meghna Group.
Simultaneously, electricity imports from India’s Adani power plant came to a complete halt from midnight on Friday (11 April), following repeated technical faults in the Air Preheater system. This has created a power shortfall of 1,300-1,400 MW against the national demand of approximately 15,000 MW.
The Adani facility, located in Godda, Jharkhand, comprises two units of 800 MW each. While the first unit began commercial operation on 7 April 2023, it went offline a day later due to a preheater malfunction. Since then, the plant had been supplying only 650-700 MW from the second unit, which also ceased operation early Friday.
BPDB Member (Generation) Md Zahurul Islam confirmed the issue. “The Air Preheater malfunctioned again, causing both units to go offline. Repairs require cooling of the boiler, which may take 3-5 days depending on the weather,” he said.
BPDB Chairman Md Rezaul Karim remains hopeful that the first unit will resume operations shortly. “We expect full power supply to be restored within 3-4 days,” he stated.
To mitigate the impact, the BPDB has directed Petrobangla to increase gas supply to gas-fired power plants as a temporary measure.
The BPDB signed a power purchase agreement with Adani in 2017, with the aim of diversifying Bangladesh’s energy mix. However, the recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of overdependence on imported coal and external power sources.
