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The Matarbari thermal power plant, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with a capacity to generate 1,200 MW of electricity in Moheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar, is set to go into operation in January 2024, according to official sources.
The successful completion of the test commissioning of the power plant in June paves the way for its scheduled commercial production early next year.
With around 400,000 tonnes of coal already received at the site, the plant is expected to produce 600MW of electricity initially, with an additional 600MW to be added by March 2024.
The construction progress of the two units of the Ultra Supercritical Coal-Fired Power Plant has reached around 80 per cent completion, said sources, with the Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh overseeing the implementation, costing Tk 518.55 billion.
Engineer Abul Kalam Azad, project director of the Ultra Supercritical Coal-Fired Power Plant, said he is optimistic about running both the units early-2024.
The Matarbari power plant is part of the broader Moheshkhali power complex plan initiated by the Bangladesh Power Development Board in 2013, envisioning several coal and gas-fired plants, including the 1200 MW plant.
The power plant project was proposed in September 2011 and received environmental approval in October 2013, with the groundbreaking ceremony held in January 2018.
The project received approval for a cost and deadline revision from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on November 23, 2021.
The revised cost stands at Tk 518.55 billion, up from the original Tk 359.84 billion, with the majority of the additional cost allocated for deep seaport facilities.
Spanning 1,500 acres of land, the thermal power plant consists of two thermal units based on ultra-supercritical coal-fired technology, each with an installed capacity of 600MW.
The engineering, procurement and construction contract was awarded to a consortium of Sumitomo, Toshiba and IHI in August 2017.
Toshiba Plant Systems and Services, a subcontractor of Sumitomo, is responsible for constructing the port and providing other plant equipment and associated civil work.