Power Generation Stalls Amid Fuel Crisis, Import Dependence Rising

Staff Correspondent

Due to the lack of fuel, about a quarter of the country’s power generation capacity has been paralyzed. Out of 135 plants, 15 gas-based and 10 oil-based plants are completely closed, and another 5 plants are stalled due to technical faults due to lack of regular maintenance. In this situation, dependence on imported power is gradually increasing to meet the demand shortfall.

Analysts say the country’s energy shortage has become a structural crisis. On the one hand, a shortage of local gas and oil supplies, and on the other, slow progress in the renewable sector, have made Bangladesh’s power system increasingly dependent on foreign energy.

Currently, 15 major power plants are shut down due to gas shortages, including Ghorashal, Tongi, Meghnaghat, Siddhirganj and Ashuganj. Together, these plants have lost about 4,500 MW of production. Similarly, 10 more oil-based plants are shut down due to furnace oil shortages, and at least 18 plants are running on limited production.

With the power structure dependent on natural gas, oil, coal and LNG facing a shortage of local supply, the country is now relying on imported energy. Of the nearly 15,000 megawatts of electricity it needs every day, 16 percent comes from neighboring countries. Bangladesh currently imports 2,696 megawatts of electricity from India and Nepal—about half of which is supplied by Adani Power.

The cost of importing electricity is also increasing rapidly. At the beginning of this year, where the average cost was 170 million taka per day, it had increased to 300 million taka by October.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEEA), the share of imports in the country’s electricity consumption has increased from 40 percent to 62 percent in the last five fiscal years. According to experts, this is not only increasing financial pressure, but also putting the country’s energy security at risk.

Energy expert Dr. Ijaz Hossain said, “We are having to rely on imports because we are unable to supply sufficient energy ourselves. If there were no lack of planning and implementation, it would have been possible to produce this electricity within the country.”

Bangladesh’s progress in renewable energy is very limited. Currently, 13 solar power plants have a combined capacity of only 500 MW, and two wind power plants are practically closed. The government’s ‘Renewable Energy Policy-2025’ sets a target of generating 20 percent of total demand from renewable sources by 2030. However, a recent report by IEEFA says that real progress is not on track to achieve that target—only 245 MW of rooftop solar capacity has been added in the last 17 years.

According to Dr. Ijaz Hossain, “If there had been proper planning and implementation, it would have been possible to generate 2,000 megawatts of renewable electricity in such a short time.”

In this regard, Power Secretary Farzana Momtaz said, “We are working to reduce the fuel shortage. However, there are no plans to increase electricity imports for now.”