Originally published in The Daily Star on 10 June 2023
The 1,320MW coal-fired Payra Power Plant in Patuakhali is likely to resume production from June 26 as six ships loaded with coals have already left from Indonesia for Payra.
The power plant has been temporarily shut down from June 5 due to shortage of coal.
Operation at one of the two units — each with a capacity of 660MW — of the power plant was suspended at 12:15pm on June 5 while the other unit has been closed since May 25.
Payra Power Plant’s project manager Shah Abdul Mawla said six ships– carrying 37,000 to 45,000 tonnes each — left for the plant. Several more ships are in the process of loading coal, he added.
If all goes well, the coal-carrying ships will start anchoring at the jetty of the power plant on June 25 and the power plant will resume production on June 26, he expected.
The plant requires at least three lakh tonnes of coal per month and is expected to have uninterrupted supply of coal from now on subject to payment of its price, he added.
The first unit of the power plant came into production on January 10, 2020 and the second unit on August 26 of the same year.