Load shedding soars sevenfold amid energy crisis
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Load shedding increased nearly sevenfold across the country in just 20 days as the crisis originated on 21 July when an LNG terminal in Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar, broke down, causing gas supply to dwindle.
This was compounded by a coal shortage at thermal power plants, record-breaking intense heat, and a surge in electricity demand, leading load shedding to reach a maximum of 3,757 megawatts.
Although the damaged LNG terminal was expected to be fully repaired and gas supply normalized by Monday, it did not occur. Life is now being pushed to the brink by the severe dual crisis of gas and electricity, though officials from the government’s Power and Energy Division have expressed hope that the situation will improve within two to three days.
Only three weeks ago, the situation was far less dire; on the day the LNG terminal was damaged, the maximum load shedding was 488 megawatts, compared to 209 megawatts the day before when gas supply was normal. By Monday, against a demand of 16,262 megawatts, the power supply stood at only 12,505 megawatts.
Power Development Board (PDB) Chairman Md Rezaul Karim said, “Efforts are being made to reduce this in various ways. Even today, I held meetings with the Patuakhali thermal power plant and India’s Adani. The power supply situation will improve within a day or two.”
Patuakhali Thermal Power Plant, with a capacity of around 1,200 megawatts, has seen its production drop by half. An official from the plant said adverse weather at sea is causing delays in transferring coal from large ships to smaller vessels at Kutubdia and transporting it to the facility, but production will increase once the weather normalizes.
Indian company Adani Power, which typically supplies up to 1,500 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh, has seen its supply drop to an average of 800-1,000 megawatts because flooding in Jharkhand, India, has made the coal too wet to burn properly.
Adani Power informed Agamir Somoy that coal supply may return to normal by Wednesday morning. Then it will be possible to produce electricity at full capacity.
The country’s coal-based capacity is 7,945 megawatts, but it is producing only about 5,500 megawatts on average, despite the two units of the Payra Thermal Power Plant returning to service after maintenance.
Production has also declined at the Rampal power plant, and the Barapukuria plant is producing less due to technical reasons that have shut down two of its three units. Other plants are also facing mechanical faults, maintenance issues, and fuel shortages.
Petrobangla Director Md Shoyeb expressed hope that gas supply would normalize in two to three days once the Moheshkhali LNG terminal is repaired. Addressing previous delays, he said, “Actually, the work is complex and sensitive. We are trying our best. We are reporting the information as provided by the company (US-based Excelerate Energy) repairing the terminal. However, if everything goes well, gas supply will increase this week.”
The damage to the LNG terminal caused gas supply to drop by about 600 million cubic feet, bringing the total supply down to 2.14 billion cubic feet. While partial repairs have recently added about 250 million cubic feet, a fully operational terminal would add another 300-350 million cubic feet.
The country’s gas-based power plants have a capacity of 12,154 megawatts and require at least 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas, yet even a minimum supply of 1.2 billion cubic feet helps keep the situation under control. Production from gas-based plants is between 3,800 and 4,000 megawatts, down from the 5,500 megawatts produced just a short time ago.
PDB officials said they have increased production from expensive oil-fired plants to reduce the deficit, though this will drastically increase subsidies. Fuel oil imports have been hindered by unpaid outstanding debts.
While load shedding is expected to decrease once gas and coal supplies stabilize, officials cautioned that the country may not be entirely free from outages due to ongoing fuel and financial shortages, although cooler weather would likely reduce demand and improve conditions.
