Barapukuria power plant shuts down again after boiler tube explosion

Power generation at the Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant in
Dinajpur has come to a complete halt again following a boiler tube explosion in
Unit-1, officials said.
Though power generation was
suspended on Saturday night (2 May), the matter was disclosed today (4 May).
Chief Engineer Abu Bakkar Siddique
said a boiler tube in Unit-1 burst on Saturday night, forcing the suspension of
electricity generation.
Frequent mechanical faults have disrupted operations at the
coal-fired plant, which has a total installed capacity of 525 megawatts.
Of the plant's three units, only
the 125MW Unit-1 had been in operation. The 125MW Unit-2 has remained shut for
the past five years, while the 275MW Unit-3 is currently out of service due to
ongoing overhaul and maintenance work.
It may take around five days to
resume production at Unit-1 after necessary repairs, as the overheated boiler
water needs to be cooled and the damaged tube replaced, he said.
Earlier, on 25 April, another tube
in the same unit exploded, halting power generation for six days. The unit
resumed operation around 10pm on Friday (1 May) after repairs, supplying
55–60MW of electricity to the national grid.
However, within 24 hours, another tube burst, leading to a fresh shutdown.
Each unit contains numerous tubes
that carry steam generated in the boiler to the turbine, officials said.
The power plant was commissioned in
2006 to utilise coal extracted from the nearby Barapukuria coal mine and to
support irrigation in eight agriculture-prone northern districts.
Initially, electricity generation
began with two 125MW units. A third unit with a capacity of 275MW was added in
2017 to meet growing power demand.
However, due to recurring faults
and other issues, the plant has never been able to operate at its full
capacity, officials added.
















