Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has urged ensuring a diversity of energy sources alongside meeting the country’s growing electricity demand, and directed that economic capacity, environmental impact and the public’s long-term interest be given the highest priority in generating power and running large infrastructure.
The prime minister gave the directions to officials on Sunday (9 August) while visiting the 1,200 MW Matarbari ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant in the Matarbari area of Maheshkhali upazila, Cox’s Bazar.
He landed by helicopter at the plant’s helipad at 10:45am and went to the project’s administrative building, where he took a detailed briefing on its overall activities from 11am to 12:15pm. Officials briefed him on the plant’s current state, power generation and operations, generation capacity, fuel supply and management, operational efficiency, maintenance, security and related infrastructure, and presented the project’s future plans.
The prime minister learned in the briefing that the Matarbari plant is run entirely by domestic engineers and staff. Expressing satisfaction, he praised the skill and capability of the domestic engineers and workers and encouraged them, and planted a commemorative neem sapling in the project area.
The Matarbari plant has a total capacity of 1,200 MW from two 600 MW units, using modern ultra-supercritical technology. The project includes port facilities for coal transport, transmission lines, an access road and other infrastructure alongside the plant, and was financed by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
After the briefing, the prime minister toured the project’s various installations and proposed project areas. At 12:25pm he set out for the site of a proposed 70 MW solar power project, reaching it at 12:29pm, where officials briefed him on the plan and likely capacity. He was also shown the sites earmarked in the same area for a proposed LNG-based power plant, a petrochemical project and a new refinery.
The prime minister then inspected LPG, LNG and coal terminal infrastructure and proposed project areas, taking detailed information from officials and giving specific views and directions. He visited the coal jetty, from where he observed the Matarbari deep-sea port, the LNG terminal and various plant installations, and was briefed on the port infrastructure for coal transport and unloading and its integration with the plant. He also visited the proposed temporary LPG jetty and the sites earmarked for future coal power plants numbers 3 and 4.
He finished the tour by 12:55pm and left for the helipad. During the visit, the prime minister stressed the maximum and efficient use of existing infrastructure, transparency and accountability in running projects, regular maintenance and long-term integrated energy planning to ensure the country’s power and energy security. He emphasised integrated development of power, energy, the deep-sea port and related industrial infrastructure centred on Matarbari, saying their planned and effective use would play an important role in the country’s energy security, industrialisation and overall economic activity.
Those with the prime minister included Home Minister Salauddin Ahmed, Power and Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, State Minister for Power and Energy Anindya Islam Amit, security adviser Brigadier General Shamsul Islam, additional press secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon and special political secretary Belayet Hossen Mridha. The prime minister left Matarbari by helicopter at 1:05pm.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report