The Power Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the significant presence of soil in a coal consignment imported for the Matarbari power plant in Cox’s Bazar. Mohammad Sanaul Huq, joint secretary (development-1) of the Power Division, has been appointed as the convener of the probe body. The two other members of the committee are Mohammad Hossain Potowari, a senior assistant secretary of the division, and Md Nazmul Haque, a deputy director of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
An office order issued on Tuesday (March 25) instructed the probe body to submit its report within three working days. The committee has been tasked with investigating the 11th coal consignment for the Matarbari 1,200MW Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Plant, built on 1,600 acres along the Bay of Bengal.
Farzana Mamtaz, secretary of the Power Division, addressed the issue. “We have already formed an investigation committee and will take necessary action after receiving their report."
Experts warned that using low-quality coal could damage the power plant’s valuable equipment. For this reason, the state-owned Coal Power Generation Company Limited (CPGCL), which operates the power plant, has rejected a shipment of 63,000 tonnes of coal after detecting a significant presence of soil in the consignment. CPGCL officials stated that Unique Cement Industries Ltd (UCIL), a sister concern of Meghna Group of Industries (MGI), was awarded the contract to procure coal from Indonesia through a tender, in partnership with the Indian Aditya Birla Global Trading Company (registered in Singapore), which supplied the consignment. However, a substantial amount of soil was found mixed with the coal, making it unsuitable for power generation.
When the ship carrying 63,000 tonnes of coal arrived at the port, approximately 20,000 tonnes were unloaded. However, during the unloading process, black clay was observed alongside the coal, which is typically black and dry. The imported coal was mixed with clay and was wet. The CPGCL has refused to unload the contaminated coal and has sent it back.
According to CPGCL sources, a Singapore-flagged vessel, ‘MV Orient Orchid’, entered the channel of Matarbari port on March 17 with the coal. On March 21, power plant officials began unloading the shipment, at which point they discovered the presence of a large amount of clay mixed with the coal.
However, the agreement stipulated that the Indian company would supply high-quality coal from Indonesia.
It has been reported that the price of the imported coal is approximately Tk14,500 per tonne.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
