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Construction work of the Matarbari 1,200-megawatts (MW) ultra super critical coal-fired power plant at Maheshkhali Upazilla under Cox's Bazar is going on in full swing to commence electricity generation from the first 600-MW unit by January 2024.
Some 55.85 per cent work of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor has been completed until July 2021.
The Matarbari coal-fired power plant is being developed by the state-run Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) with an estimated cost of around US$4.5 billion (Tk 359.84 billion), a senior CPGCBL official told the FE on Sunday.
Consortium of Sumitomo Corporation, Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation and IHI Corporation was selected as the EPC contractor on July 27, 2017 for construction of the power plant.
The EPC contractor started the plant construction works on August 22, 2017.
The power plant project comprises construction of jetty and coal handling facilities for coal import, coal storage, power plant construction, township development, rural electrification, construction of transmission facilities and road communication.
A channel, having 14 kilometres (km) of length, 250 metres width and approximately 18.5 metres depth, is also being developed.
A new 400-kilovolt (kV) transmission line will also be developed to transmit the electricity generated by the power plant to the national grid.
The power plant will annually require around 3.50 million tonnes of coal, which is expected to be imported from Indonesia, Australia and South Africa through the Matarbari Port.
A coal unloading system equipped with rail-mounted continuous bucket type unloaders will transport the imported coal to the power plant.
Of the total estimated cost of Tk 359.84 billion, Tk 70.45 billion is being provided by the government and the CPGCBL, and the remaining Tk 289.39 billion as project aid from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Around 1,608 acres of land were acquired for construction of the power plant.
The CPGCBL appointed a consultancy firm - the Matarbari Joint Venture Consultant (MJVC) - to act as the owner's engineer.
The MJVC prepared the technical specifications, drawing of power plant and port facility, and bid document for the EPC contractor.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid down the foundation stone of the power plant on 28 January 2018.
The plant is expected to be fully operational by July 2024 with the commissioning of its 600-MW second unit, six months after commissioning of the 600-MW first unit.