【Bangladesh Plans Phulbari Mine Development, Potentially Replacing 75% of Power-Sector Coal Imports】

Bangladesh plans to include domestic coal development in an upcoming 10-year energy master plan and is considering open-pit extraction at the Phulbari coal mine. Sources at Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited said the deposit contains approximately 572 million tonnes of coal, of which around 472 million tonnes may be recoverable, with potential annual production of 15 million tonnes.

Excluding the Barapukuria power plant, Bangladesh’s other six coal-fired power plants require at least 20 million tonnes of imported coal annually. If Phulbari reaches its proposed production capacity, it could theoretically replace approximately 75% of current power-sector coal imports while reducing foreign-exchange expenditure and pressure on gas-fired generation.

However, the project still requires a final government decision and is expected to take around five years to reach full production after the necessary preparations are completed.