Ship with coal reaches port, power generation to resume Sunday

A ship carrying 41,207 metric tonnes of coal reached Payra port from Indonesia early today.

The ship, MV Athena, anchored around 2:00am at Payra port, 18 days after power generation at Payra Power Plant was suspended due to shortage of coal.

Azizur Rahman, deputy director of Payra port's traffic department, confirmed this to media around noon today, our Patuakhali correspondent reports.

The ship brought coal from the Indonesia's Balikpanan city and it is the flag bearer of the Marshall Islands, he said. The MV Athena left Indonesia 10 days ago.

Coal unloading from the ship has already started and if everything goes well, power generation will start at the 1,320MW power plant from Sunday, said AM Khorshedul Alam, managing director of Bangladesh-China Power Company limited (BCPCL) -- owner of the coal-fired power plant.

The MD said the two units of the power plant need 12,000 tonnes of coal per day to generate power, but they will start generation at one of the units from Sunday using 6,000 tonnes per day.

Both units will go into operation only when there is sufficient coal available, he said.

Another coal-laden ship is scheduled to reach Payra port from Indonesia in the next three-four days and there is no fear for the continuation of power generation at this centre, he added.

According to BCPCL sources, China National Machinery Import and Export Company (CMC), the Chinese partner of the power plant, provided the loan to buy the coal required for the power plant.