A shipment of coal intended for the Matarbari coal-fired power plant in Cox's Bazar has been returned due to significant soil contamination. Coal Power Generation Company Limited (CPGCPL) sent the 63,000-ton coal-carrying vessel, supplied by an Indian company, back to the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port.
Discovery of Soil Contamination
According to CPGCPL sources, an Indian company, which won the tender to supply coal from Indonesia, sent the shipment. However, the coal was found to be heavily mixed with soil, rendering it unusable for power generation.
Nazmul Haque, Executive Director of the Matarbari coal-fired power plant project, stated, "We have refused to accept the shipment, and an official letter has been sent to the supplier on Friday."
Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) sources confirmed that the coal-carrying vessel was sent to the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port following instructions from CPGCPL and the shipping company.
The coal was transported by the CPA-flagged MV Orient Orchid, which entered the Matarbari channel on March 17. The vessel is operated by Meghna Group of Companies.
Ujjal Kanti Barua, Deputy General Manager (Shipping Operations) of Meghna Group, declined to comment, stating, "We are discussing the matter with CPA. The port authority is looking into it."
Operational Disruptions and Official Response
Port officials reported that the conveyor belts used for unloading coal were repeatedly malfunctioning due to the excessive soil in the shipment. Consequently, power plant officials halted the unloading process and sent the vessel back to the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port.
Md. Omar Faruq, Secretary of Chattogram Port, stated, "We have received information that soil was delivered instead of coal for the power plant. The vessel is currently at the outer anchorage, and further action is being taken."
The 1,200-megawatt ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Matarbari, built on 1,600 acres of land on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, began commercial production with its first unit in December 2022. The second unit began production in August 2023.
