Shahjibazar Power Plant struggles amid years of operational setbacks

The Shahjibazar Power Plant in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj, one of the country’s major power generation facilities, has been operating far below capacity for years due to recurring mechanical faults, fires and technical complications.

Recurring faults have cost the Shahjibazar Power Plant billions of taka and significantly reduced electricity supply to the national grid.

According to sources, disruptions at the plant’s key generation units have led to an estimated potential loss exceeding Tk40,000 crore. Officials said losses from reduced production at two major units alone amount to nearly Tk18 crore per day.

A 100MW gas turbine power plant at Shahjibazar was launched in 2017 at a cost of around Tk890 crore and was scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2020. However, repeated turbine blade failures during trial runs delayed commissioning.

Although repairs were carried out several times, the problem persisted, leading to a complete shutdown of the unit in April 2024 following another major fault.

Officials said the plant could have generated electricity worth about Tk2 crore daily if it had operated regularly. However, it has remained operational for only 67 days over the past six years.

Project Manager AK Mofizuddin Ahmed said approximately 70% of the project cost, amounting to about Tk600 crore, has already been paid to the contractor, while the remaining payment has been withheld pending completion of the work.

He said experts are investigating why the turbine, which is used in several countries, continues to experience repeated failures at Shahjibazar.

“Work is underway to resolve the mechanical problems, and we expect the plant to resume operation by 27 June. Once operational, it will add 100MW of electricity to the national grid,” he said.

The plant’s 330MW combined-cycle unit, built at a cost of about Tk2,809 crore, has also faced major setbacks. 

A transformer malfunctioned before the inauguration, while two additional transformers were destroyed in a fire on 29 May 2022, severely affecting production capacity.

At present, one unit of the plant is generating between 100MW and 150MW of electricity, saving an estimated Tk8 crore per day. However, officials said the government is losing the opportunity to save an additional Tk16 crore daily as the remaining units remain out of operation.

Chief Engineer Abdul Mannan said one unit has been operating steadily for the past month and that electricity generation would increase significantly once the remaining units are restored.

Currently, the Shahjibazar Power Plant is producing about 183MW of electricity against its installed capacity of 490MW, with only three units operating partially.

Experts warn that unless all units are brought back into operation quickly, financial losses will continue to mount and pressure on the national power supply system will persist.