Summer Load To Be Tough To Deal With

Bangladesh's electricity demand is set to rise significantly in summer to 17,500–18,000 MW, straining supply despite an installed capacity of 27,820 MW. The key challenge is ensuring an adequate fuel supply—gas, coal, and furnace oil—amid financial constraints.

- Mollah Amzad Hossain

Gas and coal could generate 12,000 MW, leaving a 6,000 MW shortfall. Indian imports may help, but furnace oil-based power (5,885 MW) remains critical. Experts warn of worsening power shortages, advocating for planned load-shedding as a short-term solution. Immediate relief will depend on effective load management and financial support to sustain power generation. The country's peak demand for electricity this winter ranges between 9,500-11,000MW. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has no issue managing the demand even after restricting the use of furnace oil-based power plants. However, BPDB has already started planning different strategies to meet and manage the expected high summer demand from March to August. The forecast of peak demand during that period is estimated to be 17,500-18,000MW.

The installed generation capacity of the grid-connected electricity is 27,820MW. Yet, the major challenge is ensuring an adequate supply of gas, coal, and furnace oil, and for this to meet the energy, the government needs enough money in dollars and taka. Alongside making payments of due bills, dollars are required to purchase coal and liquid fuel. For managing the gas supply, dollars are needed to facilitate LNG imports and make payments for IOCs' share of gas. It is also urgent to pay the huge outstanding bills against electricity imported from India. But the problem is officials at the BPDB, Petrobangla, and Energy and Power divisions, cannot say how and when the outstanding payments would be made. It is being mentioned that these can be made as and when the finance ministry allocates and releases the funds.