Amid a staggering heatwave, Bangladesh is currently grappling with a severe electricity crisis as well and it is leading to prolonged power outages across the nation.
According to power sector sources, the country is experiencing around 2,000 megawatts (MW) of load-shedding every day — when people are hoping to get some respite from the rising mercury.
However, officials concerned have claimed that only around 1,000MW of load-shedding is happening daily. However, the reality is that rural areas are bearing most of the brunt of power generation shortage while areas like Dhaka and Gazipur are seeing frequent power cuts.
Power Division officials attributed the failure to adequately meet the electricity demand to the ongoing economic turmoil. This discrepancy between demand and supply has left ordinary people severely struggling.
According to the latest data, despite recording the highest electricity generation, the country remains unable to meet the soaring demand. On Sunday, a record-breaking 17,213MW generation was targeted. However, there were discrepancies regarding the actual figures.
According to reports from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) and the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC), the peak demand reached 16,900MW on Sunday, highlighting the shortfall in supply.
The accuracy of daily reports on load-shedding has come under question as well, with discrepancies between state-run institutions' claims and ground reality.
BPDB Member (Distribution) Rezaul Karim acknowledged the challenges in accurately estimating electricity demand and attributed potential inaccuracies to such assumptions.
The crisis is particularly acute in rural areas, where the Rural Electrification Board (REB) is responsible for supplying electricity to 80 per cent of the areas. However, data indicates that these areas are experiencing the most severe load-shedding.
On Saturday afternoon, REB had to endure load-shedding of 1,881MW, exacerbating the plight of rural residents already grappling with extreme temperatures.
Various districts including Dinajpur, Rangpur, Mymensingh and Gaibandha are in a dire situation as power outages last for 10 to 12 hours daily. The impact on daily life is profound, with residents facing challenges in accessing basic amenities and enduring adverse health effects due to the lack of electricity.
Alamin Kabir from Dinajpur said, "We are now getting electricity for an average of 12 hours a day. There's no guarantee when power will come back after load-shedding starts.”
According to the latest report of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the country currently boasts 145 power plants with a combined capacity of 27,054MW. This indicates an excess of nearly 40 per cent in electricity generation capacity against the daily demand.
However, the nation is suffering due to the insufficient power supply. Power Division officials attributed this shortfall to a scarcity of gas and coal, which is hampering the ability of large power stations to generate electricity to meet the demand.
The most pressing situation has arisen at the Rampal coal-fired power plant, a joint venture of India and Bangladesh with a 1,320MW capacity. However, the plant’s actual electricity generation fluctuates between 337MW and 378MW, according to the BPDB report.
Similarly, the report showed that the Barapukuria coal-fired power plant in Dinajpur is facing challenges as both of its two units of 125MW capacity are currently inactive.
Addressing the generation shortage, Anwarul Azim, the deputy general manager of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited - which owns the Rampal power plant, said, "We currently have no issues on our end. We produce the exact amount of electricity requested by NLDC.”
Sources at BPDB said that the current economic downturn has left the private power plant owners unable to settle their financial obligations to the government. Despite the issuance of bonds against outstanding payments, the crisis persists unabated and the backlog is only mounting over time.
Consequently, the majority of liquid fuel-based power plants — which are reliant on resources like furnace oil and diesel — have been forced to suspend operations.
Private plant owners have cited the unpaid bills as the primary impediment to resuming power generation, a revelation that has been confirmed by a BPDB official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Furthermore, due to the ongoing dollar crisis, coal imports are also being disrupted, said BPDB Member (Generation) Khandakar Mokammel Hossain.
He told The Business Post that a unit of the Adani Group power plant in India was shut down on Saturday and it resulted in a slight decrease in electricity supply and an increase in load-shedding.
Additionally, some power plants are not operating due to a gas shortage. Furthermore, due to the economic crisis, independent power producers are also unable to pay their bills, so they are not generating power either. All of these are contributing to the shortage in power generation and subsequent load-shedding, he said.
