Power Shortfall Hits 2,500 MW as Fuel Crisis Shuts Down 35 Power Plants

❐ Staff Reporter

Load shedding is occurring across the country, day and night, at a maximum of 2,500 megawatts. At the same time, questions have been raised about the reason for the simultaneous shutdown of 35 power plants in the country.

According to PDB officials, the main reason behind the closure of the plants is fuel shortage. Due to insufficient gas supply, gas-fired plants are not able to generate as much electricity as they want. There is a similar crisis in the case of liquid fuels. Generating electricity with such fuels requires a large amount of money.

An official from the power department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that currently, the cost of generating electricity per unit in furnace oil-fired plants is about 25 taka. In coal-fired plants, the cost is 13 to 14 taka, and in gas-fired plants, it is about 7 taka.

In other words, electricity can be generated at a relatively low cost using gas. However, it is not possible to ensure the supply of gas according to demand in the country, he said.

According to the official, about 1,600 million cubic feet of gas is supplied daily from domestic sources. Another 1,000 million cubic feet comes from imported LNG. There is no immediate opportunity to increase supply from any source.

No new gas has been discovered on the country’s landmass; there is also no infrastructure to increase the amount of imported gas.

The total demand of gas-fired power plants is 2,524 million cubic feet per day. But on Wednesday, October 7, 895 million cubic feet were supplied. Increasing the supply of gas for power generation could create a shortage in the industrial sector, which could impact exports.

Due to this fear, gas supply to power plants cannot be increased even if desired.

An analysis of PDB’s production data as of October 7 shows that six plants or units were shut down due to lack of gas. All four units in Ghorashal were out of service; their combined production capacity is 1,153 MW.

Apart from this, three units of 410 MW in Bheramara, 71 MW in Baghabari and 225 MW in Sirajganj were also shut down. The total capacity of these plants is 1,395 MW.

Due to the liquid fuel crisis, three power plants have not been generating electricity. They are the 100 MW plant in Gopalganj, the 113 MW plant in Chaumuhani, and the 100 MW plant in Chapainawabganj. The total generating capacity of the three is 313 MW.

Production from six more plants or units was not possible due to ongoing maintenance work. This list includes 210 MW in Siddhirganj, 80 MW in Tongi, 400 MW in Ashuganj East, and two plants of 250 and 274 MW in Barapukuria. In total, their capacity is 1,339 MW.

PDB is not taking power from the 360 ​​MW Haripur, 450 MW Meghnaghat and 20 MW Bheramara plants due to the expiry of the contract. The combined capacity of these three plants is 830 MW.

On the other hand, the 100 MW gas turbine plant in Shahjibazar is closed due to a mechanical fault.

Apart from this, the list of closed plants includes 32 MW in Haripur, 420 MW in Chittagong, 150 MW in Sikalbaha Peking, 20 MW in Sylhet and 150 MW in Syedpur. All coal-fired units in Barapukuria are also closed.

According to PGCB, at 1 am on October 6, load shedding in the country was 2,040 MW. At 8 am the next day, it decreased to 859 MW. Then it increased again; at 4 pm, the load shedding was 1,161 MW.

In this regard, former Director General of Power Cell B.D. Rahmat Ullah said, “The proper plan was not followed in the expansion of fossil fuel-based power plants. As a result, even though the plants exist, they are not being operated due to lack of fuel.”

According to him, the country has virtually no primary fuel reserves, and what is available is very limited. Therefore, there is no alternative to moving towards renewable energy.

He further said that many countries in the world generate solar power during the day and store it in batteries so that it can be used at night. It is possible to develop such a system in Bangladesh as well. For that, the government needs to make a proper plan and proceed accordingly.