CUFL Resumes Urea Production After Six-Month Gas-Related Shutdown
Urea production has officially restarted at the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited following the restoration of gas supplies. The facility had been completely shut down since March 4 due to severe gas shortages.
Urea fertilizer production has officially resumed at the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) following the normalization of gas supplies to the industrial facility. The resumption of manufacturing activities marks a significant milestone for the plant, which had remained entirely non-operational for a prolonged period of approximately six months following a severe shortage of gas.
According to official details confirmed on September 15, the facility's complex reopening process began with the initial startup of ammonia production. Following the successful preliminary phase, authorities proceeded to execute the subsequent steps required to operationalize the main urea plant, successfully bringing the vital manufacturing cycles back to life.
Uttam Chowdhury provided detailed insight into the reopening sequence, explaining that initial production activities officially commenced on Tuesday morning. Although the plant received gas supplies toward the end of the previous month, immediate production could not be resumed due to lingering technical faults. Workers and engineers subsequently undertook concerted efforts to activate various machinery units one by one, with expectations that the facility would achieve completely error-free and normal operational status by Wednesday.
Mizanur Rahman also commented on the long-awaited operational milestone, emphasizing the significance of returning to the manufacturing schedule after nearly half a year of inactivity. Rahman expressed strong confidence that the financial and operational losses accumulated throughout the extended shutdown period can be successfully recovered within a short timeframe through consistent and regular production output.
The comprehensive restart brings an end to the prolonged industrial paralysis that began on March 4, when the factory's production operations were completely halted due to the deepening gas crisis. With both ammonia and urea sections now moving through their respective phases, the facility is poised to regain its regular commercial and agricultural supply functions for the region.
