Faltering load-shedding management

The area-wise planned power cuts across Bangladesh were introduced by the government on July 19 to tackle the gas and power crises. People while bracing for difficult days accepted the measure – as part of the austerity drive– as inevitable because prices of electricity producing diesel, LNG, and fuel oil have increased exponentially in recent days. The common folks were prepared for the move as energy experts have been saying in recent times that a proper and planned load management of the current energy supply is the best way to deal with the ongoing gas and power supply cuts.

Load-shedding does not befit a fast developing country like Bangladesh. However desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes the authorities are forced to take unpopular decisions. And the people were given to understand that the power cut decision is a temporary coping mechanism.

The people welcomed the initiative of announcing the load shedding earlier for a specific time and specific area. However, the plan faltered from day one. Particularly in the rural areas, the authorities concerned failed to maintain the schedule. Instead of one or two hours, many districts are experiencing frequent bouts of load shedding every day. The situation outside Dhaka is worsening day by day with eight to nine hours of load shedding occurring daily.

The situation has worsened in the capital too with Dhaka experiencing two hours of power outage daily. Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, stated earlier that with energy prices soaring in the world market due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Bangladesh is experiencing a shortage in its gas supply which is hampering electricity generation. But observers say the roots of the crisis go back way before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to an oil and gas squeeze. We believe over-dependency on imports and long-time negligence of local resources were the major causes behind this energy crisis. Ironically the load-shedding decision comes on the heels of the government’s grandiose declaration of providing electricity to 100 per cent of the people. Media reports suggest that there has always been a shortage and the crisis has intensified in recent times.

When the scheduled power cuts were introduced the minister said “Primarily, we will do this on an experimental basis. If needed, then after observing the situation for a week, we will revisit the plan and decide whether load-shedding would increase or decrease”. However, the authorities concerned have decided to delay the review. According to a report published in The Business Post yesterday, it has been 13 days since the government said it would review the decision to have scheduled area-based one-hour power cuts across the country after a week and then move to either increase or decrease the frequency. But the decision has yet to come, much to the dismay of the general public.

The TBP report states that sixteen districts in the northern region of the country are struggling the most. Among them, there were reports of load shedding for 12 hours last Sunday in Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj district. Experts here say that proper load management could lessen people’s suffering even with the diminishing production of gas and electricity. Be that as it may, the worsening power cut situation reflects poor management and a lack of efficiency.

Experts and laypersons alike believe that one hour of daily load shedding is manageable for consumers. However, longer-duration load shedding has resulted in sufferings for countless people. Time was when load shedding for hours on end was the rule. However, in recent years, load shedding has become an anachronism. For a generation of children and early teens, this is their first exposure to regular power cuts.

Bangladesh’s power sector has increasingly relied on imports of fossil fuels, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) which is a “very volatile commodity” that risks becoming too expensive for poorer importing countries. Experts have called for more exploration and expansion of gas production at home to reduce reliance on imported fuels.