Power generation resumed at Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant

Power generation has resumed at the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant after a two-day shutdown caused by a mechanical fault, officials said Friday night (April 24).

Chief Engineer Abu Bakkar Siddique confirmed that the plant’s 125-megawatt first unit was brought back online on a trial basis around 8:30pm, with 55–60 megawatts already being supplied to the national grid.

The unit had gone offline on April 22 night after stones mixed with coal damaged the processing system, triggering a technical malfunction. Engineers carried out emergency repairs to restore operations within a short timeframe.

Officials said the unit requires about 700 metric tons of coal daily to sustain production. The plant, with a approximately installed capacity of 525 megawatts, relies on coal supplied from the nearby Barapukuria mine.

The resumption is expected to improve electricity supply condition across Parbatipur and at least eight northern districts, where recent outages had intensified due to generation shortfalls.

However, the plant’s second 125-megawatt unit remains shut since November 2020, leaving overall generation below full capacity. When operational, that unit typically generated 60–65 megawatts.

Authorities expressed hope that continued operation of the revived unit will significantly reduce load-shedding in the region and stabilize the local power supply in the coming days.