Location

The Phulbari Coal project is located in the Dinajpur District of Northwest Bangladesh, approximately 350 kilometres from the capital, Dhaka, and just 10 kilometres from the Indian border. The region is relatively flat with occasional natural forest remnants at an elevation of 30 metres above sea level and comprising an alluvial plain with slightly raised terraces formed by the drainage of the sub-Himalayan river systems (the Ganges/Padma and Jamuna rivers).

To the immediate north of the Project is the Barapukuria coal field, an underground mining operation. With a planned output of 1 mtpa, and an associated mine mouth power station with an output capacity of 250 MW, this project was developed by Chinese contractors for the Government.

Economy

The region's economy is mainly agricultural, with reasonable infrastructure but little industry and few services. The region has road, rail and air connections, with the rail network presently offering the best available transport links

Climate

The climate is subtropical with the early summer months (March to early June) normally hot (maximum temperature of up to 40 degrees Centigrade), dry and windy with occasional storms occurring in the pre-monsoon period.

Most rainfall occurs in the monsoon period from June to late October and annual rainfall averages 2,000 millimetres. The minimum temperature in winter is about 8 degrees Centigrade.

Barapukuria Coal Field

To the immediate north of the Project is the Barapukuria coal field, an underground mining operation. With an planned output of 1 mtpa, and an associated mine mouth power station with an output capacity of 250 MW, this project was developed by Chinese contractors for the Government.

Energy Consumption

Bangladesh has one of the lowest per capita energy consumptions in the world and suffers from chronic power shortages. Power has been identified as critical to the country's long-term economic development and growth. Less than half the population of around 160 million has regular access to electricity, with wood and other bio-mass burned in many rural households for domestic use. The consumption of wood for fuel has contributed to deforestation and other environmental problems. The World Bank estimates that Bangladesh loses around $1 billion per year due to power outages and unreliable energy supplies.

Bangladesh is heavily dependent on gas-fired electricity but at current rates of consumption and exploration, and with no major new discoveries, the country's reserves of gas could be depleted within 10 years. The Phulbari Coal Project will therefore provide a vital and timely alternative energy source for the generation of electricity.