After Adani, Matarbari coal-based power plant has been closed due to want of coal. Rampal and Payra power plants are also on the verge of closure.
There are 4 large coal-based power plants in the country, each with a production capacity of over 1200 MW. And there are 4 small units, one of which is 307 MW, one is 275 MW and two are 125 MW.
All of them, except for the 3 small power plants located in the Barapukuria coal mine, are suffering from energy problems to some extent. It is known that this crisis has arisen due to the huge arrears of power plants running on imported coal. Some are unable to open LCs due to want of money, while others are unable to open LCs due to the dollar crisis. Due to this, the coal supply chain of the power plants is on the verge of breaking down.
Among the large coal-based power plants, Banshkhali seems to have a regular supply so far. One unit of the power plant is providing uninterrupted power supply. Another shipload of coal arrived in the country on Saturday. Barishal 307 MW and Barapukuria 125 MW power plants are under regular maintenance. Barapukuria 125 MW and Barapukuria 275 MW power plants are in partial production. Payra and Rampal are producing partially, but sources have confirmed that Rampal's coal stock is running out this week.
In addition to imported coal, 1,600 MW of electricity is imported from Indian company Adani. Adani Group has a bill of about Tk.10,000 crore. The company has announced that it will shut down one unit from October 31. It has threatened to shut down the second unit if the dues are not paid by November 7.
Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited's (CPGCBL) Matarbari power plant has also been shut down due to want of coal. The power plant came into production last year. Where 2.25 lakh tons of coal brought for power generation has been exhausted. Therefore, power generation has been stopped from October 31. CPGCBL invited international tenders for three years of coal supply, but there were allegations of fraud. Following the application of a contracting company, the High Court imposed a six-month ban on coal import. Although that order was though stayed by another court coal import is facing uncertainty in the long term. CPGCBL hopes that coal may arrive by the end of November.
On the other hand, the Payra 1320 MW power plant of Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt.) Limited, a joint venture of the Bangladesh and Chinese governments, is also failing due to arrears. Out of the two units, one unit is operating due to lack of coal. The company has a bill of Tk. 5,800 crore due to the Power Development Board. It is said that it is facing complications in opening LC due to liquidity crisis.
The energy picture of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) daily production report shows that the production of cost-effective coal-based power plants has decreased, so the expensive furnace oil-based power plants are having to run more. Even then, load shedding cannot be stopped. On November 1, 12,302 MW of electricity was generated in the evening PK. Around 1,700 MW of load shedding occurred that day.
On the other hand, a source in BPDB said that they are already at a loss. In this situation, it has been advised to reduce losses by running coal-based power plants more. If the reverse increases there, the average cost of electricity generation will increase further.
The demand for electricity has been somewhat reduced due to the low demand on November 1, which is a weekend. The demand has naturally decreased due to the decrease in temperature in the northern region. Due to which the production has decreased, the suffering has been relatively less. Since the winter season runs from December to February, the demand will remain low. However, the irrigation season and Ramadan may present a huge challenge together at the end of February. It is feared that a major shortage may arise if the problem is not resolved before then.
While coal is in crisis, there is no good news for gas either. Production has been destroyed due to gas shortage. For several months, gas-based power plants have been generating electricity in less than half the time which one remains permanently in place for months after months.
Despite repeated calls to Power Development Board Chairman Md. Rezaul Karim and Member (Production) Khandaker Mokammel Hossain for their opinions, they did not receive them.