TOKYO -- Located in the middle of a vast salt field in southern Bangladesh, the Matarbari coal-fired power plant is big by any standard. When completed, the $6 billion project is expected to generate 1.2 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to a large nuclear reactor and enough to meet 30% of the power demand in the Dhaka metropolitan area.
Named the Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project, the facility consists of two thermal units and has been 70% financed by yen loans from Japan. Its power generation efficiency, projected at 42%, will be among the highest in the world for coal power plants.
