The country is experiencing a surge in electricity demand due to the ongoing intense heat wave. Unfortunately, the power generation capacity remains stagnant, leading to an electricity crisis of around 2,000 MW nationwide, including the capital city, Dhaka.
Sources said load shedding is being implemented in district towns and villages, resulting in hour-to-hour outages.
The country has been grappling with a prolonged power crisis that escalated since the middle of the previous year. However, there was some respite for the citizens in the past month and a half as load shedding decreased, attributed to the temperature drop during heavy rain.
Met office said the temperature has been steadily rising since last Tuesday, leading to a surge in electricity demand nationwide, surpassing 15,000 MW, according to Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). Surprisingly, on the following Wednesday, the country experienced load shedding of up to 2,080 MW.
On Thursday, the peak load shedding reached 1,901MW at 11:00am. Notably, during this period, Dhaka Electric Supply Company and Dhaka Power Distribution Company claimed that there were no load shedding incidents within the city.
The situation in rural areas is dire as district towns and rural regions experience prolonged power outages, particularly in the areas under the jurisdiction of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board and Northern Electricity Supply Company.
The total power generation capacity is now 24,171 MW according to state owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), of which 7000 MW is not available due to various reasons. Out of the remaining 17,000 MW capacity, maximum 12,500 MW are being produced during the day and 14,500 MW at night.
The country's power generation heavily relies on coal, liquid fuel, and gas, with a significant portion of primary energy being imported. However, due to the ongoing economic crisis, the government is struggling to meet the high costs of energy imports in line with the increasing demand. Consequently, many power stations, both public and private, are facing challenges in electricity generation. The dues owed by power plants to the government are escalating on a daily basis.
The Rampal power plant has been non-operational since July 16 due to technical issues. Prior to its closure, it contributed 600MW to the national grid.
Additionally, the Adani group from India was expected to receive approximately 1,500 MW from the two units, but currently, only 700 MW is being received. According to BPDB, the transmission line capacity has not been fully realized, leading to the reduced power supply from the Adani group.
Spekaing to The Business Post, SM Wazed Ali Sardar, Member (Generation), BPDB said, “The government is making maximum efforts to enhance power generation, but there are some limitations that we are actively working to resolve in the near future.”
BPDB public relations division said, “As of now, the gas supply to power plants is satisfactory, with a daily supply of 120 million cubic feet of gas. However, there is concern that any reduction in gas supply could exacerbate the crisis. The situation is already critical, as all oil-fired power plants are non-operational due to outstanding bills, and all diesel-powered private power plants were closed last June.”
Currently, 3,700 MW of power plants are offline due to energy shortages, while an additional 3,300 MW of power plants are non-operational for technical issues.
