After being completely shut down for three days, the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant in Dinajpur has resumed partial electricity production.
Chief Engineer of the thermal power plant, Abu Bakr Siddique, stated that after overhauling, the 125 MW capacity Unit 1 was brought back online at 5:00 pm on Thursday, and power production began after 8 pm. Around 60 to 65 MW of the generated electricity is being supplied to the national grid.
Siddique hoped that the third unit, which was shut down on Monday due to a mechanical fault, can be restarted within a few days once parts are supplied by the Chinese contractor Harbin International.
Meanwhile, the 125 MW capacity Unit 2 has been completely non-functional since the beginning of the year. When the third unit was shut down last Monday due to a mechanical fault, the power production at the plant was entirely halted.
As electricity is being supplied to the national grid, load shedding has decreased in Dinajpur and other northern districts. In agriculture, power-dependent irrigation systems, as well as other sectors, are facing fewer disruptions. The production in industries like rice mills and factories has become more active.
The country’s first coal-based power plant produces electricity by burning coal extracted from the adjacent Barapukuria coal mine, using steam-powered engines.