Bangladesh has broken yet another power generation record by producing an unprecedented 11,534MW of power.
This record power generation occurred around 7pm Monday against the forecast demand of 11,800MW during the evening peak hour, sources at the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said.
This was also the first time that the country’s power sector saw production cross the 11,500MW mark, with the previous highest generation being 11,387MW, produced on July 18. Bangladesh’s power sector touched the 11,000MW mark on July 7.
Earlier, Bangladesh crossed the 10,000MW mark for the first time on March 19, before which Bangladesh generated 9,000MW of power for the very first time on June 30, 2016.
As of today, Bangladesh’s installed power generation capacity, including captive power and renewable energy, is 20,133 MW. The BPDB has taken up an extensive capacity expansion plan to add about 11,600 MW over the next five years, aiming at generating 24,000MW of electricity by 2021, and 40,000MW by 2030, for which a mammoth investment of around $80 billion is needed.
The massive investment plan is also meant to provide uninterrupted power supply, Power Division officials said.
The government is also keen to provide the entire country with electricity coverage by 2021. Currently, 90% of the population has access to electricity.
A top government official recently said BPDB is likely to ensure 100% electricity coverage as early as December this year.
Bangladesh signed separate deals for constructing two 3,600MW power plants on July 11 and September 7 respectively, which will be the highest capacity power plants so far in the history of the country's power sector.
