Load shedding intensifies due to oil and gas shortage

Temperatures have risen in the final days of Chaitra, leading to increased demand for electricity. 

However, load shedding has begun due to shortages in power supply caused by fuel scarcity and mechanical faults. 

Since the beginning of this month, load shedding has already exceeded 1,000 megawatts, and the crisis has taken a serious turn. As a result, the Power Development Board has had to impose load shedding of one to one-and-a-half hours, with rural areas experiencing more frequent power cuts than urban ones.

According to sources at the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, the country has a power generation capacity of 29,000 megawatts, while maximum summer demand may reach 18,500 megawatts. 

Although the total capacity of gas-based power plants stands at 12,204 megawatts, limited gas supply means it is not possible to generate more than half of that capacity. 

The Power Development Board has stated that at least 1,200 million cubic feet of gas per day is required for load shedding-free electricity supply. Currently, however, only an average of 930 million cubic feet is being supplied daily.

The shutdown of a unit at India’s Adani power plant has also resulted in 700 megawatts less electricity entering the national grid. These factors have forced the implementation of load shedding, according to the Power Development Board.

At 9 pm on Sunday, electricity demand stood at 14,600 megawatts against a supply of 13,828 megawatts, leaving a deficit of 737 megawatts. 

On Saturday, the peak demand was 15,700 megawatts, with the highest load shedding recorded at 1,080 megawatts.

A senior official from the Power Division noted that the ongoing war situation in the Middle East has once again threatened Bangladesh’s energy security. While the crisis was not severe in March, concerns are growing for April and May. Any disruption in liquefied natural gas supply during this period could further reduce generation from gas-based plants.

According to government data, the total generation capacity of gas-based power plants is 12,204 megawatts, but a large portion remains idle throughout the year due to gas shortages. In response, the government plans to rely more heavily on coal-based power plants, targeting around 6,000 megawatts of generation from coal during April and May. 

However, coal-based production has declined in recent days.

There are also plans to increase output from furnace oil-based power plants, which have a combined capacity of 5,634 megawatts in the public and private sectors. Due to high production costs, these plants are expected to operate mainly during daytime hours. 

The government owes approximately Tk14,000 crore to private power producers, which has hindered their ability to import necessary fuel.

Amid the fuel oil crisis linked to the situation in Iran, the government has initiated a cost-saving programme. Plans include saving up to 3,100 megawatts of electricity daily by switching off all types of lighting nationwide for the next three months, operating government and private offices, banks and financial institutions from 9 am to 4 pm, and closing office buildings, shopping malls and commercial establishments by 7 pm. 

However, stakeholders in the sector have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of these measures.