Heavy monsoon rainfall and strong upstream inflows have restored full operations at Bangladesh’s only hydroelectric power station, with all five generating units at the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant running simultaneously after months of reduced output caused by the dry season.
The five units have been operating together since 6pm on Tuesday, marking the first time in several months that the plant has returned to full operational status.
During the prolonged dry spell, low water levels in Kaptai Lake forced the station to run only one or two generating units at a time.
By 9am on Friday, the plant was producing 179 megawatts of electricity, aided by a sharp rise in the lake’s water level over the past week, according to Mahmud Hasan, manager (engineering) of the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant.
“The lake’s water level has increased significantly over the last seven days due to continuous rainfall and runoff from upstream hills,” Hasan told reporters.
He said Units 1 and 2 were each generating 42 megawatts, Unit 3 was producing 35 megawatts, while Units 4 and 5 were generating 30 megawatts each.
The plant has an installed generation capacity of 240 megawatts.
When all five units were brought back into operation on Tuesday evening, the station generated 144 megawatts. Output has since increased as water availability continued to improve.
Control room officials said the water level in Kaptai Lake reached 90.31 feet above mean sea level (MSL) at 9am on Friday, significantly higher than the seasonal rule curve level of 85.44 feet MSL.
The lake, created by the Kaptai Dam, has a maximum water retention capacity of 108 feet MSL.
Officials said continued rainfall could further improve generation capacity in the coming days, provided water levels continue to rise.