Barapukuria Power Plant: Unit 1 Shuts Down Again Over Mechanical Fault

Unit No.1 of the Barapukuria coal-fired thermal power plant in Dinajpur has been shut down again due to a mechanical fault, further disrupting electricity generation in the region. The unit ceased production around 11:00 AM on Friday.

Abu Bakar Siddique, the plant's Chief Engineer, confirmed the shutdown, stating that technical teams are actively working to repair the fault and restore operations as quickly as possible.

Before this latest breakdown, Unit No.1 was supplying 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity daily to the national grid. This marks the second operational disruption for this specific unit in recent weeks also it previously broke down on July 31 and only resumed operations on August 2 following immediate repairs.

The Barapukuria facility, which has a total generating capacity of 525 MW is currently relying entirely on Unit No.3 which is supplying 170 MW to the national grid. Unit No.2 has remained out of service since 2020.

Frequent mechanical failures at this critical northern power hub continue to hamper its overall contribution to the national grid also raising concerns over sustained power stability.