Coal at full capacity 🙆♂️3 Mar 2026 15:58
Https://en.bonikbarta.com/bangladesh/RybJKGDXgow96qfC
Coal-based plants at full capacity could limit load-shedding in summer, officials say
Staff Correspondent
Publish: Tuesday March 3 2026, 09:18
RPCL-Norinco Int’l Power Limited (RNPL) coal-based power plant in Patuakhali | Photo: RNPL
BPDB forecasts a demand of 18,000 MW during summer. Meeting that would require cutting reliance on gas-based plants and increasing output at coal- and furnace oil-based plants.
Coal-based power plants account for 6,847 megawatts of Bangladesh’s net power capacity. But in practice, output averages 4,500–5,000 MW. The shortfall reflects mechanical faults, maintenance, grid constraints and delays in coal imports. With summer expected to strain gas- and furnace oil-fired plants amid the current Middle East conflict, officials say running coal-fired plants at full capacity could help limit load-shedding.
Daily power demand in Bangladesh averages nearly 12,008 MW, with coal-based plants supplying just over 4,500 MW. The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) forecasts summer demand of 18,000 MW. Meeting that would require cutting reliance on gas-based plants and increasing output at coal- and furnace oil-based plants.
“There are plans to run all coal-fired plants this summer,” BPDB chairman Engineer Rezaul Karim told Bonik Barta. “But fuel shortages prevent them from always reaching full output. An RNPCL plant (130 MW) remains offline. It’s expected to resume around March 25–26, with a coal shipment due March 20.”
Most of Bangladesh’s coal-fired plants were built under the now-ousted Awami League government to provide base-load power. Delays in securing fuel contracts, however, left them idle for long periods. Shortages, unpaid bills and mechanical faults have also forced repeated shutdowns — a persistent challenge for the BPDB.
The biggest problems affect the RPCL-Norinco Int’l Power Limited (RNPL) plant in Patuakhali. The plant with 1,320 MW capacity was built with Chinese investment. Repeated tenders have failed to secure a long-term coal supplier for the plant, leaving it unable to run at full capacity, generating losses and straining debt repayment. China’s Exim Bank has meanwhile expressed concern in a letter over delays in the plant’s commercial operation date and loan servicing.
According to an RNPL letter, BPDB owes $192 million in unpaid electricity bills to the plant, which its management seeks to recover. In the January 21 letter to EXIM Bank’s division chief, RNPL managing director AHM Rashed also warned that without the plant coming online, this month’s loan instalment could not be met and requested a one-year extension of the debt’s grace period.
The first coal import tender for the RNPL plant was launched in November 2022 but then cancelled after conditions changed. A second tender issued on January 15, 2024 attracted five bidders, with Singapore-based Yongtai Energy qualifying on technical grounds. That tender was al
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