Coal-firing at the plant will be done on November 15 and it will take about a week for synchronisation. Trial operation of one 125 MW unit will start at the end of the month, officials there told this correspondent.

This will be the first power plant to produce electricity with coal produced in the country instead of imported fuel.

The second 125 MW unit will be operational in February, according to its project Director Fazlul Haque.

The plant has a stock of 40,000 tonnes of coal for power generation, they said.

State Minister for Power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud visited the plant on Saturday and inquired about preparations for the trial operation.

Officials said 90 per cent work of the plant has been complete and the units would be commissioned in time. Most of the basic infrastructures of the two units have been installed.

Use of coal in the plant will save about 1,999 million US dollars on count of import of fuel. The power plant will remain operational for 30 years.

The plant, having a provision for installation of another 125 MW generation unit is being set up at a cost of 209 million US dollars with a loan of 144.1 million US dollars.

Official sources said the government has a plan to install a third generation unit in the plant to produce a total of 375 MW power, which may fully utilise the coal to be extracted from the coal mine.

A Chinese consortiumCMC-- is setting up the plant on turn-key basis. The power plant will consume 2,500 tonnes of coal a day, to be supplied from Barapukuria coal mine now being developed. The coal mine will produce one million tonnes of coal annually.

Officials said 65 per cent of the coal will be consumed by the power plant and the remaining 35 per cent will be sold out for use by brick fields and other purposes.

According to experts, the bituminous coal of Barapukuria is of "high quality".

The production cost of per ton of coal is Tk 3086.15 and it will be sold to the power plant at the rate of Tk 4820 per tonne. The coal mine is being developed at a cost of 251.08 million US dollars.

Officials said with commissioning of the power plant, pressure on the East-West Inter-connector will ease and load-shedding in northern districts will reduce substantially.

Smooth power supply in the region will help setting up of new industries and gear up economic and commercial activities. The ash which will be produced as a by-product in the plant will also be utilised commercially.