Matarbari Port
{{#badges:CoalSwarm|Template:Navbar-BangladeshCoal}} Matarbari Port is a proposed deep sea port in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Contents
Location
The port is proposed for Maheshkhai island (Moheshkhali upazila) in Cox's Bazar District, Chittagong.
Coal
The proposed deep sea port would receive imported coal for the proposed 1200 MW Matarbari power station. The government approved a Tk360 crore project to set up a deep sea port for handling imported coal for the proposed plant in August 2014. In January 2015 it was reported that the proposed Sonadia Port may be abandoned, and the Matarbari Port would be extended up to Sonadia, 25 kilometers away.[1]
The Bangladesh government may seek funds from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the port. JICA is funding the Matarbari power station. A feasibility study would be conducted before constructing the deep-sea port. Pacific Consultant International (PCI), a Japanese firm, had found Sonadia Island suitable for the construction of a deep-sea port in 2006, but did not consider inclusion of coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) jetties in the deep-sea port.[2]
In June 2015 JICA said construction of the 18-meter-deep port at Matarbari was set to start by January 2016. The Japanese prime minister has offered US$4.8 billion in loans for the project, which would include the 1200 MW Matarbari power station. JICA imagines the port to be part of a broader project to turn the area into an industrial corridor, and “an important trade gateway to the rest of Asia and beyond.”[3] The coal terminal may be a joint venture between Coal Power Generation Company of Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) and Shumitomo Corporation of Japan. The 1200 MW power station, a joint venture of Japan's Mitsui and Company Ltd and Malaysia's IMDB Energy Group Berhad, would use about 3.73 million tonnes of coal annually.[4]
In September 2015 Dhaka cleared Japan’s proposal to finance and build a seaport in Matarbari. JICA has offered US$3.7 billion to build the US$4.6 billion port and power complex in Matarbari.[5][6]
In September 2017 it was reported that a Japanese consortium comprising Sumitomo Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, and IHI Corporation signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the 1,200 MW coal-fired power plant and deep sea port at Matarbari in Cox’s Bazar. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will finance in the project, and the total project cost will amount to 500 billion yen.[7]
In January 2018 it was reported that Matarbari Port was planned for completion in July 2024. According to the state minister, 18 percent of project work has been completed.[8]
In June 2018 the Japanese government approved a loan of US$24 million for the project, as part of its 39th Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan package.[9]
Project Details
- Sponsor: Coal Power Generation Company of Bangladesh Limited, Shumitomo Corporation
- Location: Maheshkhai island (Moheshkhali upazila), Bazar District, Chittagong, Bangladesh
- Proposed Coal Capacity (Million tonnes per annum):
- Status: Construction
- Start year: 2024
- Type: Imports
- Source of Coal:
- Cost: US$4.6 billion (port and Matarbari power station)
- Financing: Japan International Cooperation Agency
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ "Sonadia deep sea port plan may be dumped," Dhaka Tribune, Jan 11, 2015
- ↑ "Matarbari now potential site for deep-sea port," Financial Express, Feb 21, 2015
- ↑ "Japan Beating China in Race for Indian Ocean Deep-Sea Port," Bloomberg, June 23, 2015
- ↑ "Another 1200MW Power Project at Matarbari," energy bangla, June 15, 2015
- ↑ "Bangladesh favours US$4.6bn Japanese port plan over rival Chinese scheme, says minister," South China Morning Post, Sep 11, 2015
- ↑ "Bangladesh's Deep Sea Port Problem," The Diplomat, June 7, 2016
- ↑ "Consortium to build coal power plant, sea port at Matarbari," The Independent, Sep 27, 2017
- ↑ "Matarbari port to be turned into a deep-sea port," The Daily Star, Jan 7, 2018
- ↑ "Japan to provide Tk 15,326 crore for 6 projects," The Bangladesh Today, June 14, 2018
