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CUFL stops production for gas supply problem

Our Correspondent

CHITTAGONG, Feb 5: The country’s leading urea fertiliser factory CUFL, a state-owned enterprise, is on the brink of closure due to frequent fluctuation in the pressure of gas.

The Chittagong Urea Fertiliser authority pointed out that they are not only facing a production shortfall but the damage caused by the fluctuating gas pressure can cripple the plant.

“The gas crisis is a bane of the factory, but what is more dreadful is that frequent fluctuation in the pressure of gas from Bakhrabad gas systems ltd may severely damage the machinery of the factory,” Shahjahan Mean, GM (operation) of the CUFL said.

Production of urea fertiliser in the CUFL remained suspended for the last 12 days since 25 January as the titanium gasket in the reactor of the urea plant has been damaged due to unstable pressure of gas, he said, adding they kept the ammonia production running to partially cover up the loss.

Initially they tried to repair the gasket of the reactor in consultation with the engineers and experts from Toyo Engineering Corporation and Kobe Steels Ltd of Japan but failed. Later the extra titanium gasket that was preserved with the reactor during construction of the CUFL by Toyo Engineering engineers was replaced as advised by the Japanese engineers.

Still then the production units could not be started. The CUFL engineers said they are observing the plant under system pressurisation if the reactor can be put on operation by the night of next Sunday.

The plant is getting 49 mmcf of gas – the raw material – per day for a daily production of 1400 metric tons of urea from ammonia but the production collapsed on 25 January after the reactor ceased to be operated. It left them with the production loss worth Tk 168 million in 12 days at the rate of Tk. 10,000 per ton of urea, he added.

“We urged the BGSL authority many times to keep the pressure stable, if needed, by reducing the supply of gas to 48 mmcf per day but they seemed to be unconcerned about it,” GM (operation) of the CUFL said.

He informed that recently the Industries secretary and senior BCIC officials visited the factory and they had a meeting with the Energy secretary and the concerned officials on the issue but with no results.

The CUFL was installed in the early ’80s with a monthly production capacity of 42,000 metric tons of urea fertiliser.