After Fuel Shortage, Power Generation Hit as Coal Crisis Strikes Matarbari Plant

Special Correspondent

Cox’s Bazar, April 8, 2026: After the 1320 MW coal-based power plant in Patuakhali was shut down for many days, another major power plant in the country, Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Power Plant, is also in crisis due to lack of coal. For the past few days, the Matarbari plant in Cox’s Bazar has not been able to generate electricity at full capacity.

The government is placing special emphasis on coal-based power plants to address the energy crisis. While the production situation of other plants including Rampal and Payra is relatively good, the expected benefits from coal-based power are not being achieved due to the failure of two major plants like Matarbari and Patuakhali to produce.

It has been found that the Matarbari plant, which has a capacity of 1150 MW (about 1200 MW), can produce its maximum, but currently its production is limited to only 315 MW. This limited production has been going on for the past few days. On the other hand, the 1320 MW plant in Patuakhali has been closed for a long time. The company’s executive director K. M. Naeem Khan said, “The plant had to be closed due to the coal crisis.” However, he could not say for how long it has been closed.

RNPL Thermal Power Plant Superintendent Engineer Md. Abdul Halim said that the plant has been closed since last November due to complications related to the coal tender. He expressed hope and said, “The complications have been resolved. The plant may be operational again by April 30.” Incidentally, although the plant was closed in November due to low electricity demand, customers would have felt relieved if it was operational now as demand increases during the summer.

Concerned parties are blaming the lack of efficiency in the management of the institutions in both cases. They say that if some power plants in the same country can operate normally by importing coal from the same source at the same time, then the government should urgently look into why these two plants cannot.

Bangladesh usually imports most of its coal from Indonesia. The global energy crisis has recently increased the demand for coal. Indonesia has limited exports after meeting its own needs and stopped selling in the spot market. Those plants that do not have long-term contracts are the most affected. The Patuakhali plant is also facing difficulties due to this.

Officials in the power sector say that unless the coal import process is made more efficient and fair, the risk of load shedding may increase during the summer. Experts believe that the government should focus on quickly resolving tender complications and ensuring long-term contracts.