Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Adviser Dr Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said that the load-shedding situation is gradually improving, and conditions are expected to normalize within 20 days.
He said this at a meeting with the executive committee of the Forum for Energy Reporters, Bangladesh (FERB), held at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
The adviser said: “Load shedding occurs due to several simultaneous incidents. For example, the Barapukuria coal-based power plant unexpectedly shut down, and at the same time, a unit at the Rampal power station developed mechanical faults. If gas supplies were stable, it would have been easier to manage the crisis.”
He further said that the FSRU (Floating LNG Terminal) operated by Summit Group has been out of operation for several months, hindering the increase in gas supply. LNG import activities are ongoing and expected to take about 15-20 days to complete. After this, the gas supply will increase. The gas crisis is also causing problems in industries and fertilizer factories.
Fouzul informed that efforts are underway to quickly restore operations at the Barapukuria and Rampal power plants, and he hopes the situation will gradually improve.
Meanwhile, the senior secretary of the Power Division, Habibur Rahman, said: “The situation has improved compared to Tuesday. Around 1,000MW of load shedding occurred around noon on Wednesday. The pump at the Barapukuria power plant, which broke down, is being flown in from China and is expected to be operational by Sunday. Efforts are also being made to quickly restore the malfunctioning unit at the Rampal power plant.”
The senior secretary also mentioned that 7,000MW of electricity could previously be generated from gas, but due to a decreased gas supply, only 4,800MW are currently being produced.
Regarding the payment issues with the Indian company Adani Group, he said that there is no financial crisis. "We have deposited Tk10 crore with Sonali Bank. The bank is unable to make the payment due to a dollar shortage, but we can provide more money if needed. I hope there will not be any problem in receiving electricity from Adani."
The heat has been increasing alongside the electricity load shedding in recent days, with reports of load shedding occurring several times throughout the day and night across the country.
