Staff Reporter:
The state-run Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) halted production again early Thursday, two days after resuming operations following a six-month halt due to gas shortages and technical problems.
“Urea production was halted around 4am on Thursday due to a technical glitch. However, ammonia production was going on,” said the factory’s deputy manager (administration), Samiran Marma.
“Efforts are underway to fix the problem and production is expected to resume on Sunday,” he said.
Earlier, the process of restarting the urea production unit began on Tuesday morning after gas supplies were restored.
The ammonia plant was first brought back into operation in phases, followed by the activation of equipment at the urea plant.
Officials said they received gas at the end of last month, but could not resume production immediately because of technical problems.
Later, they restarted the equipment one by one.
Production at the fertiliser factory, one of the country’s key urea producers, requires around 48-52 million cubic feet of gas daily to operate at full capacity. A drop in gas pressure or a disruption in supply can force the plant to suspend production.
The plant once had a production capacity of around 1,700 tonnes of urea a day. However, its effective capacity has declined over the years due to ageing machinery, reduced efficiency of equipment and recurring gas shortages.
