Barapukuria Power Plant back to partial production after week-long downtime

After a week-long shutdown, the Barapukuria coal-fired thermal power plant in Dinajpur has returned to partial operation, feeding 50 MW of electricity to the grid from Sunday evening. 

Production was halted as all units faced mechanical issues with their steam sensors and turbines. The 525 MW-capacity plant has three units in total. Unit-2 has been non-operational since 2020, and the recent fault in Unit-3 led to a complete shutdown of the plant.

The northern region’s electricity supply is highly reliant on this power plant. 

The shutdown disrupted electricity supply across at least eight northern districts. Industrial and agro-processing activities in the region were particularly affected. Production in small and medium enterprises, food processing factories, cold chain operations and export-related activities came to a near halt. 

Although the partial restoration adds 50 MW, full operational capacity is essential to bring industrial and commercial activities back to normal.

Experts note that the economic losses during the shutdown extend beyond limited electricity supply—they also reflect increased production costs and delays in processing. 

Businesses and agricultural establishments in northern Bangladesh were forced to rely on alternative power sources, which could exacerbate economic instability if electricity production does not stabilize in the long term.

This partial operations offer some relief, but stakeholders emphasize that northern economic activity will remain constrained until all units of the plant are fully functional.

When contacted, Abu Bakr Siddiq, Chief Engineer of the plant said to the daily Sun today (Monday) that emergency repairs are underway with the assistance of Chinese experts.

“It may take until January to fully restore all units to operational capacity,” he added freely.