S Alam Group’s 1320 MW coal-fired SS Power Plant at Banshkhali in Chattogram started commercial operation on Monday.

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The SS Power Plant started commercial generation as the 660-megawatt capacity first unit started supplying electricity to the national grid at full capacity from 12:01 am on 18 September 2023, said a release of the S Alam Group.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPBD) conducted inspections at the power plant, it noted.

Earlier, the power plant, which started its official induction into the national grid on 14 January, has two units, each with a capacity of 660 MW.

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The first and second units began their test runs, respectively on 24 May and 28 June. Now, the S Alam Group, Chinese company SEPCOIII and HTG owned SS Power Plant’s one unit went into full-fledged commercial power generation.

Md. Ebadat Hossain Bhuiyan, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SS Power Plant, said, "Today is an exciting day for the people of our country. With the cooperation of BPDB and all concerned, we have successfully started commercial production”.

The electricity from the plant is being added to the national grid. The commercial production of this power plant will contribute significantly to the daily lives of the people and the national economy, he added.

This thermal power plant at Banshkhali holds great importance in various aspects. It is the country’s first large private coal-based thermal electricity project.

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The S Alam Group said the power plant, by far, is the highest investment from a single private entity, with an investment of $2.6 billion, or Tk 28,000 crore.

Moreover, S. Alam Group holds the record for facilitating foreign investment in a private project. In this project, leading home-grown company S. Alam Group owns 70 percent of the stake, whereas the rest of the 30 percent stake is owned by Chinese companies SEPCOIII and HTG.

If the plant is in full production, it will be able to supply about 2.93 crore units of electricity per day and about 88 crore units per month.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly initiated the project of the SS Power Plant in 2016 after the BPDB and SS Power signed an agreement.

After the commencement of operations, the SS Power Plant has been successfully brought into commercial production much earlier than other power projects, said the press release.