Bangladesh is facing a renewed deterioration in electricity supply as several power plants have either stopped generating electricity because of technical faults or are operating below capacity amid gas shortages. The situation has become more difficult as temperatures rise under the influence of a depression over the Bay of Bengal, increasing pressure on electricity demand.
The latest disruption involves one unit of the Adani power plant, which supplies electricity from India, and one unit of the domestic RNPL plant. Their simultaneous shutdown has created a fresh shortfall of around 1,200 megawatts, according to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
Data from the country’s power system on Thursday (10 September) showed that at around 3pm, electricity demand stood at 16,345 megawatts, while generation was 12,788 megawatts. This left a deficit of 3,557 megawatts at a time when demand was already at least 1,000 megawatts below the day’s peak requirement.
The gap between available generation and demand has forced authorities to increase load-shedding in different parts of the country. Areas that had experienced some improvement in electricity supply over the past few weeks are once again facing frequent outages.
BPDB member (generation) Zahurul Islam said the sudden shutdown of an Adani unit had contributed significantly to the latest deterioration. Engineers were working to repair the unit and restore generation as quickly as possible. At the same time, one unit of RNPL also went offline, adding to the pressure on the national grid.
According to data from the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC), electricity supplied by the Adani plant fell sharply from 1,430 megawatts to 758 megawatts at around 11pm on Wednesday. Generation from coal-fired power plants also declined. Their combined output stood at 4,857 megawatts, down from around 5,200 megawatts a day earlier.
The problems are not confined to coal-fired plants. Several gas-fired facilities have also been affected by technical faults and shortages of fuel. In Ashuganj, a 450-megawatt power plant had generated 319 megawatts a day earlier, but subsequently stopped production because of a technical problem.
Gas shortages are adding another layer of pressure to the power sector. At least seven power plants in the Dhaka region are either out of operation or running at reduced capacity because of inadequate gas supplies. One plant each in the Chattogram, Cumilla and Mymensingh regions is also reported to be out of service.
The combined effect of plant outages, lower generation and fuel shortages has been felt most directly by consumers. Load-shedding has intensified in both urban and rural areas after remaining relatively manageable for several weeks.
In urban areas, some consumers are experiencing power cuts as many as four times a day. The situation is considerably worse in rural areas, where load-shedding of between seven and 10 hours has returned in some places.
The latest disruption highlights the sensitivity of Bangladesh’s electricity supply to unexpected outages at large generating facilities. When major units suddenly stop operating, the resulting loss of generation can quickly widen the gap between demand and supply, particularly during periods of higher consumption.
For the immediate situation to improve, the affected generating units will need to return to operation while gas availability for power plants also needs to improve. Until those constraints ease, consumers in different parts of the country are likely to continue experiencing significant interruptions in electricity supply.
