While Power Ministry officials are urging the public to await the findings of an eight-member probe committee into the national power grid failure’s causes, other top officials seem to have determined what were and were not the causes of the grid failure.
The finance minister yesterday said: “It was the faulty transmission and distribution electricity lines that caused yesterday’s [Saturday] power shutdown, not the Indian power company that we import the power from.”
Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the 10-hour blackout across the country was the result of faulty transmission and distribution lines, after the minister met Power Secretary Monowar Islam at his secretariat office yesterday to discuss why the nationwide blackout had occurred.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid yesterday told journalists that an inquiry committee was investigating the causes of the national grid failure, and asked the public to postpone further speculation until the committee’s definitive report on the matter (See story on Back Page).
But an expert attending the media conference at Bidyut Bhaban said the national power grid could collapse again if it was not upgraded.
“We will appoint a consultant to review the power grid system as soon as possible,” Nasrul Hamid said at the press conference.
The nationwide blackout on Saturday has led to a series of high-level government efforts to figure out just what went wrong with the national power grid and what must be done to fix it.
“The transmission and distribution system in the country is sub-par compared to any other country,” the finance minister said.
He also said: “I asked the power secretary why our power generation was 80% of our capacity to generate power.”
The country currently has the capacity to generate 11,000MW of power, but it only generates 7,000MW.
The focus of all the concern is falling on state-run Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd (PGCB). Incorporated in November 1996 with an authorised capital of TK1,000 crore, it is entrusted with owning, operating and expanding the national power grid.
“I think such an accident could happen again if the system is not modernised,” said Abdul Hasib Chowhdury, associate professor of electrical and electronic engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).
Prior to Saturday’s grid collapse, nationwide blackouts occurred in 2003 and 2007. Grid system security analysis, low-voltage study, blackout prevention study and power restoration plan are needed to revise the total system, the Buet teacher said.
“Grid system security analysis is an engineering study which would give reports to the operator before any problem emerges in the system,” he added.
“If a full low-voltage study was done, it would point out supply source problems. A blackout prevention study prepares an automatic load system which would be activated just before a possible grid failure,” he said.
“Besides this, the grid system needs to be decentralised. For instance if a problem emerged at the Bheramara power station, why should it affect Sylhet?”he asked.
“Finally, there needs to be a full restoration plan so that a plan of action exists if the grid fails. These steps are standard procedure globally and if we follow them, we will not have such problems in future,” he said.
The PGCB’s actual upgrade effort will likely be based on the findings of the probe committee and the recommendations of the consultant the Power Ministry will bring in.
In 1996 when the PGCB was formed, the total length of 230kV and 132kV lines was 838 circuit-km and 4,755 circuit-km, respectively. This increased to 1,144 circuit-km and 4,962 circuit-km respectively in FY2000-01.
At present there are 164.70 circuit-km of 400kV lines, 3,066 circuit-km of 230kV lines and 6,125 circuit-km of 132kV lines throughout Bangladesh run by the PGCB.