After remaining shut for seven days due to a mechanical fault, one unit of the Barapukuria coal-based thermal power plant in Parbatipur, Dinajpur, has resumed production. Power generation began on Sunday afternoon.
The first unit of the 525-megawatt power plant, with a capacity of 125 megawatts, has come back online. Initially, the unit will produce 50 megawatts of electricity per day. To keep it operational, the plant will require 800 to 900 metric tons of coal daily.
The plant’s Chief Engineer, Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique, confirmed the resumption of electricity generation from the first unit.
On October 19, at around 8:30 p.m., the first unit (125 MW) was shut down due to a burst in the boiler pipe. Earlier, on Thursday (October 16) at 8:35 a.m., the third unit of the power plant had also been shut down. As a result, production at all three units of the 525-megawatt coal-based plant came to a complete halt.
After being fully shut down for seven days, the first unit resumed production on Sunday following repairs. The power plant has three units — the first and second units each have a capacity of 125 megawatts, while the third unit can produce 275 megawatts. The second unit has remained closed since November 2020 due to mechanical issues — nearly four years and eleven months.
Chief Engineer Md. Abu Bakkar Siddique said that after repairs, the boiler of the first unit was fired at noon on Sunday. Electricity from the first unit started being supplied to the national grid at around 2 p.m. He added that repair work on the third unit is ongoing, and efforts are underway to resume production within the next couple of days.
