Matarbari coal had 30Kg stones in it31 Aug 2025 07:12
Https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/energy/imported-coal-matarbari-plant-had-stones-some-weighing-30kg-probe-finds-1224631
Imported coal for Matarbari plant had stones – some weighing 30kg, probe finds
ENERGY
Shazzad Hossen
31 August, 2025, 07:20 am
Last modified: 31 August, 2025, 09:39 am
These oversized stones were detected after unloading one-third of the coal from 11th consignment. The shipment carried 63,300 tonnes onboard MV Orient Orchid, which docked at the Matarbari jetty on 17 March this year
A file photo of Matarbari coal-based thermal power plant in Cox's Bazar. Photo: TBS
A file photo of Matarbari coal-based thermal power plant in Cox's Bazar. Photo: TBS
A consignment of Indonesian coal imported to feed the 1200 MW Matarbari Ultra Super Critical power plant in March contained boulders – around 150 and some weighing up to 30 kilograms – finds the Power Division's probe body.
These oversized stones were detected after unloading one-third of the coal from 11th consignment. The shipment carried 63,300 tonnes onboard MV Orient Orchid, which docked at the Matarbari jetty on 17 March this year.
Beside stones, the coal consignment was soaked in water and mixed with mud and reddish foreign substances that increased its weight.
The probe committee in its report flagged the contaminated coal as a serious threat to the power plant's equipment.
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Power, energy, and mineral resource adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan confirmed the findings of the probe committee.
"Yes. I am aware of this matter. The supplier brought stone-contaminated coal, some stones weighing up to 30 kg, for the Matarbari power plant," he told TBS on Wednesday (27 August).
The contamination was so severe that the plant operator primarily rejected the entire consignment, but later accepted it on some conditions – separating stones and other foreign materials from coal at supplier's cost, measuring excess water to calculate the actual weight of the coal and paying port overstay fee.
'Heavy rain to blame'
According to the probe report, the Coal Power Generation Company formally sent a letter to notify the supplier – the consortium of Bangladesh's Meghna Group, and Aditya Birla Global Trading (Singapore) Pte Ltd, a wholly owned arm of India's Aditya Birla Group.
A team from the consortium visited the coal yard and acknowledged that the consignment contained oversized stones, mud, reddish substances, and coal heavily mixed with water, the probe report stated.
When the probe team pressed about the excessive water content in coal, the supplier attributed it to "heavy rain" in Indonesia during transport from the mine to the loading port.
When asked about oversized stones and other foreign materials, it gave no clear explanation and merely assured it would be "cautious in the future," the probe report noted.
Meghna's push to rece
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