<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Production at the coal-based Barapukuria Thermal Power Plant in Dinajpur will totally stop anytime soon due to a fuel shortage.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Only one of the three units of the plant is operational now, producing 275 megawatts of electricity, the plant’s Chief Engineer Wazed Ali Sarker said on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>The plant has been running on its stocks of fuel after the Barapukuria Coal Mine suspended operations on May 1.</div><div><br></div><div>The authorities resumed experimental mining through a new well on Jul 27, but halted the operations again after three more days as dozens of workers caught COVID-19.</div><div><br></div><div>Now the power plant is running out of its stocks, said Wazed.</div><div><br></div><div>“The only unit in operation now will cease producing power due to a coal shortage anytime if we cannot extract coal from the mine.”</div><div><br></div><div>The entire electricity produced by the 525 MW plant goes to the national grid, which means a closure of the plant will hamper supply while the authorities are already grappling to manage rolling power outages to save costly fuel. -bdnews24</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/TR</div>