Matarbari to be a new energy hub

Massive construction works are going on in the country's south-eastern part near Cox's Bazaar to establish a new energy hub which will feed a total of 37 proposed projects at Moheshkhali and Matarbari areas depending on the infrastructure facilities of the under-construction Matarbari coal-fired power project.
An energy hub is a multi-carrier energy system consisting of multiple energy conversion, storage and network technologies
Nearly 7,100 workers are now working relentlessly to implement the project by January 2024 to develop two power units each with 600MW capacity. Channels, jetties power plant (civil),  power plant boiler (EPC part), power plant turbine and generator (EPC part), and coal-fired power plants and ash management (EPC part) will be constructed under the proposals.
"Matarbari 1200 MW coal fired power project would change the socio-economic lifeline of the coastal people, centering this project, government is planning to establish Matartbari deep sea port, more power projects and other projects here. It will be a game changer of this area," Md, Monowar Hossain Majumder, superintendent engineer (operation) of the Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Ltd, told The daily Observer on Monday during a visit to the site.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is providing Tk28,939.03 crore for the project located at Matarbari and Dhalghata under Maheshkhali upazila in Cox's Bazar while CPGCBL will finance Tk4,926.66 crore from its owned fund. The ground-breaking ceremony for the project was held in January 2018 as its operation is expected to begin by June 2023.
"The development work of Matarbari thermal power plant is on track, pandemic cannot stop us," he added.
The workers and officials engaged to develop the plant on a 1,500-acre site with two thermal units based on ultra-supercritical coal-fired technology, it is one part of the broader Moheshkhali power complex that includes several proposed coal and gas-fired plants, he said.
Plans have also been floated for another 1200-1320 MW coal plant in Matarbari, phase III. These plans have been discussed by Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited, and the project is also included in the Bangladesh Master Plan, with a proposed commissioning of 2026.
Each of the two units will consist of a steam-based pulverised coal-fired boiler unit, a 600MW steam turbine and a 750MV steam generator. The plant will feature a 275m-high flue gas stack and an electrostatic precipitator, which will limit the particulate emissions to 100mg/Nm�.
A new deep-sea port facility named Matarbari Port will be developed for importing the coal required for the power plant. The port will include a 760m-long container and a multi-purpose terminal.
The port terminal will include a fuel berth, a fuel transportation facility, and two coal-handling jetties. The channel length will be 14km, width will be 250m and maximum depth will be approximately 18.5m.
A new 400kV transmission line will be developed to transmit the electricity generated by the power plant to the national grid.
The power plant is expected to require 3.73 million tonnes (Mt) of coal a year, which will be imported from Indonesia, Australia and South Africa through the Matarbari Port.
A coal unloading system equipped with rail-mounted continuous bucket type unloaders will transport the imported coal to the power plant.
A consortium of Sumitomo, Toshiba and IHI was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project, in August 2017, so far made more than 50 percent of progress.
Sumitomo subcontracted Toshiba Plant Systems and Services for constructing the port and providing other plant equipment and associated civil work, while Penta-Ocean Construction was awarded a $1.4 billion-worth subcontract for the construction works related to Matarbari port.
"So far, 50 percent of the coal jetty has been implemented ahead of the schedule. Implementation of most of the components has also been completed ahead the scheduled time," said Mujumdar.