Payra Thermal Power Plant’s operations came to a complete halt at 12:05 pm today, with its second unit shutting down due to coal crisis. The shutdown of the power plant worsened an already severe load shedding situation in Dhaka city and elsewhere, according to BPDB officials. Earier, the other 660 MW unit of the power plant was closed on May 25. BPDB officials said due to the shutdown of the second unit of Payra power plant, the country’s load shedding has increased to 2675 MW at 12 pm today, which was 2287 MW on Sunday. It means the country had to experience 388 MW of added load shedding due to the closure of Payra power plant's operations, said an official of BPDB referring to the data of the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC). He said the country generated 12099 MW of electricity against a demand of 14900 at 12 pm today. NLDC’s evening forecast shows that the country’s demand will go up to 15800 MW when generation is expected to be 14,400 MW. Also Read: Coal shortage: Production at another unit of Payra power plant may suspend after June 2 However, officials said the country may experience more than 3500 MW of load shedding in the evening peak period The 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant is expected to resume operations on July 1 as the process of importing coal has already started through the opening of LC, said Shah Abdul Hasib, superintendent engineer (operation) at the plant. He said the shipment will arrive by June 25. “After the shipment of coal arrives, we will be able to resume the plant’s operation by July 1,” he said. He said opening LC takes some time due to the current global situation and dollar crisis. Payra power plant needs to import 3 lakh metric tonnes of coal every month to operate the plant in full capacity. Also Read: Operation of 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant is likely to face closure over coal crisis The power plant has to spend about US$ 5-6 million every month to import the required coal. Payra power plant officials said the power plant is burning some 13,000 tonnes of coal a day. It has a 76.30-acre dumping zone where 25 years’ worth of by-products can be kept. The plant is currently importing coal from Indonesia. It has its own jetty, whose conveyor belts can unload 3,200 tonnes of coal every hour from four vessels at a time. After undergoing test runs for about five months, the first unit of the Payra power plant started commercial operation in May 2020. In October 2020, the second unit of the 660 MW plant, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, started its commercial operation.  

Operation of another unit of 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant is going to be suspended soon due to coal shortage, according to Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt.) Limited (BCPCL) officials. The plant has two units each having 660 MW and the first unit of the two has already been shut following the coal crisis. "Now the remaining unit may run until June 2", said Shah Abdul Moula, plant manager of the BCPCL. BCPCL, a joint venture of the Chinese firm China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladeshi state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL), is the owner and operator of the Payra power plant. Read more: IPPs call for uniform import duty on primary fuels The plant manager said that the plant is currently operating one unit having 660 MW while another 660 MW unit was closed last week. Moula said that the overdue payment against the coal import actually created this critical situation. The overdue amount now stands at more than $400 million. "But recently we received a permission from Bangladesh Bank to pay $50 million to the coal supplier against the overdue", he said adding that this will help arrange to resume coal import. Read more: Separate entity needed to deal with matters relating to coal: Energy experts But still it will take about a month to receive the coal supply and we hope we may not get before June 28, said another official of the BCPCL.  According to official sources, the Payra power plant needs to import 3 lakh metric tonnes of coal every month to operate the plant in full swing. They said the BCPCL normally opens LC through state-owned Sonali Bank to import the coal. But recently Sonali Bank regretted opening the LC due to the dollar crisis. Admitting about the problems, the BCPCL officials said the authority has already communicated the issue to the Power Division to take necessary measures. Read more: Committee to review existing deals on coal purchase for power generation Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 21 last year inaugurated the 1320 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Patuakhali's Payra on a day when she also declared the country's 100 percent electricity coverage. This milestone achievement puts Bangladesh ahead of India and Pakistan among the South Asian nations to light up every house with electricity. BCPCL set up the plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology at over $2 billion as part of a development partnership on 982.77 acres of land. The Export-Import Bank of China lent $1.96 billion for the project. The company started operation in 2016. Read more: Bashundhara Group wins bid to supply 8 million MT of coal to Rampal power plant This kind of coal-fired power plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology is the thirteenth in the world and seventh in South Asia. The Ultra Supercritical Technology used for this plant aims at protecting the environment in line with the government's policy, officials said. After undergoing test runs for about five months, the first unit of the Payra power plant started commercial operation in May, 2020. In October, 2020, the second unit of the 660 MW plant, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, started its commercial operation. The Payra and another 1320 MW Rampal power plants have been implemented targeting the power evacuation from both the two plants and transmit power to Dhaka city and adjoining areas to meet growing power demand. Read more: Illegal coal furnaces leave Khulna gasping for breath & answers The Payra power plant is burning some 13,000 tonnes of coal a day. It has a 76.30 acre dumping zone where 25 years’ worth of by-product can be kept. The plant is currently importing coal from Indonesia. It has its own jetty whose conveyor belts can unload 3,200 tonnes of coal every hour from four vessels at the same time. Bangladesh's power generation capacity reached 25,514 MW from just 3200MW in 2009, according to the data.

Operation of 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant is likely to face closure as banks have declined to open letter of credit (LC) to import coal due to dollar crisis. “We may not continue our operation from February next if things are not settled”, Shah Abdul Moula, plant manager of the Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt.) Limited (BCPCL), told UNB. BCPCL, a joint venture of the Chinese firm China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladeshi state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL), is the owner and operator of the Payra power plant. The plant manager said that the plant is currently operating one unit having 660 MW while another 660 MW unit remained closed. “We have planned to operate both the units at a time from January 19”, Maula said, adding that the two units could run with the current stocks of coal until the end of the current month. Also read: Maintenance dredging work underway at Payra port “But if the new consignment of coal is not available, we have to shut down both the units from the first day of February next” he said. According to official sources, the Payra power plant needs to import 3 lakh metric tonnes of coal every month to operate the plant in full swing. The power plant has to spend about $ 5-6 million every month to import the required coal. They said the BCPCL normally opens LC through state-owned Sonali Bank to import the coal. But recently Sonali Bank regretted opening the LC due to the dollar crisis. Admitting about the problems, Abdul Maula said that the BCPCL authority has already communicated the issue to the Power Division to take necessary measures. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 21 last year inaugurated the 1320 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Patuakhali's Payra on a day when she also declared the country's 100 percent electricity coverage. This milestone achievement puts Bangladesh ahead of India and Pakistan among the South Asian nations to light up every house with electricity. BCPCL has set up the plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology at over $2 billion as part of a development partnership on 982.77 acres of land. The Export-Import Bank of China lent $1.96 billion for the project. The company started operation in 2016. This kind of coal-fired power plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology is the thirteenth in the world and seventh in South Asia. The Ultra Supercritical Technology used for this plant aims at protecting the environment in line with the government's policy, officials said. After undergoing test runs for about five months, the first unit of the Payra power plant started commercial operation in May, 2020. In October, 2020, the second unit of the 660 MW plant, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, started its commercial operation. The Payra and another 1320 MW Rampal power plants have been implemented targeting the power evacuation from both the two plants and transmit power to Dhaka city and adjoining areas to meet growing power demand. The Payra power plant is burning some 13,000 tonnes of coal a day. It has a 76.30 acre dumping zone where 25 years’ worth of by-product can be kept. The plant is currently importing coal from Indonesia. It has its own jetty whose conveyor belts can unload 3,200 tonnes of coal every hour from four vessels at the same time. Bangladesh's power generation capacity reached 25,514 MW from just 3200MW in 2009, according to the data.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday called for national unity to ensure the country’s march towards development and prosperity. “In all work we have to remain united and have to continue it. If we can do it, Bangladesh will never ever go backwards again,” she said after opening the country’s largest thermal coal-fired power plant at Patuakhali’s Payra to add 1320 MW of electricity to the national grid. In a double delight for the nation the PM also marked the occasion with a proud declaration of the country's 100 per cent electricity coverage. “It’s a gift from me to the people of the country ahead of Ramadan and the holy Eid-ul Fitr,” she told the cheering audience at the plant site.  Matching with the capacity of the plant, a joint venture between Bangladesh and China, Hasina released 1320 pigeons before formally switching on the station. Read: National strategy soon for smooth graduation from LDC: PM Hasina From the jetty of the plant she waved at a parade of 200 flag-waving decorated boats sailing past her on the Payra River. In her speech, first in-person since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic two years ago, the prime minister recalled 15th August tragedy. She narrated in a choked voice how she overcame the pains of losing her loved ones on that black night to work hard to materialise the dreams of the Father of the Nation to make every citizen happy. Read: PM opens Payra power plant, declares full electricity coverage of Bangladesh Hasina said that Bangladesh’s engineers have gathered huge experience and skills through working in various mega projects and they themselves will have to implement the country’s big projects in the coming days.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday inaugurated the 1320 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Patuakhali's Payra on a day when she also declared the country's 100 per cent electricity coverage. This milestone achievement puts Bangladesh ahead of India and Pakistan among the South Asian nations to light up every house with electricity. Read: Finally, Payra power plant ready to operate at full blast Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, prime minister’s energy adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid were present at the programme. Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BCPCL), a joint venture between state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL) and China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation, has set up the plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology at over $2 billion as part of a development partnership on 982.77 acres of land.  The Export-Import Bank of China lent $1.96 billion for the project. The company started operation in 2016. This kind of coal-fired power plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology is the thirteenth in the world and seventh in South Asia. The Ultra Supercritical Technology used for this plant aims at protecting the environment in line with the government's policy, officials said. After undergoing test runs for about five months, the first unit of the Payra power plant started commercial operation in May, 2020. In October, 2020, the second unit of the 660 MW plant, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, started its commercial operation.

The 1320 MW Payra thermal power station in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district is set to start commercial supply on Monday, setting a milestone in the country’s power sector. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the coal-fired power plant officially, said deputy commissioner of Patuakhali Mohammad Kamal Hossain. All preparations have been taken and the authorities concerned are now monitoring everything to make the inauguration programme a success. In October, 2020, the second unit of 660 MW plant, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, started its commercial operation. Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BCPCL), a joint venture between state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL) and China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation, has set up the plant at $2 billion as part of a development partnership. Also read: Finally, Payra power plant ready to operate at full blast After undergoing test runs for about five months, the first unit of the Payra power plant started commercial operation in May, 2020. The Power Transmission Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) had undertaken a number of transmission projects to facilitate evacuation of electricity from the Payra power project. These transmission projects include construction of 160km 400kV double circuit line from Payra plant to Gopalganj, 164.6km Aminbazar–Mawa–Gopalganj-Mongla 400 kV double circuit line and 9.4km river-crossing line close to Padma Bridge. PGCB officials said all these projects are being implemented targeting the power evacuation from both the Payra and Rampal plants and these will cost about Tk 4,650 crore, of which Tk 3,294 crore will be spent on Payra plant transmission facilities. Payra plant’s officials said they have been operating the two units in alternative months to keep the plant’s equipment operational.  Also read: Khulna Shipyard hands over two pilot vessels to Payra Port

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that all studies till now show that local coal extraction for power generation is neither feasible nor cost-effective.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Thursday expressed optimism over more investment cooperation with Bangladesh in high-tech fields such as 5G telecommunications, high-speed railway, aerospace, and blue economy.

The 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant in Patuakhali district's Kalapara upazila is ready to operate at full blast.

The first unit (660 MW) of newly-constructed Payra coal-fired power plant went into commercial operation on Thursday, utilising the recently-commissioned 400 kV Payra–Gopalganj power transmission line.