The energy crisis has become severe and reached an unbearable level, a senior official of the Power Division said on Thursday, as the country grapples with widening gaps between electricity demand and supply.
“The heat has increased, and we see that we are always using air conditioners or various electronic equipment. Considering the overall situation, the demand for electricity has actually increased a lot. But the energy crisis is very severe, it has reached an unbearable level,” said Umme Rehana, Joint Secretary of the Power Division.
She made the remarks at a press conference called by the Power Division at the Secretariat on Thursday.
According to Rehana, the government is using less expensive furnace oil and diesel in power generation to save costs. However, along with increased electricity use, power generation has decreased due to the energy crisis.
“Our generation capacity is 12,154 megawatts, but on Wednesday, 5,274 megawatts of electricity were generated using gas. That means, due to gas shortages, the government is able to generate less than half of the capacity,” she said.
The demand for electricity on Wednesday was 15,767 megawatts, while supply stood at 13,681 megawatts, resulting in load shedding of about 2,086 megawatts.
For Thursday, the demand is nearly 17,000 megawatts, while the division expects to generate 14,000 megawatts, leaving a shortage of about 3,000 megawatts, the official added.
Rehana explained that 43 percent of electricity in the country’s power plants is generated using natural gas, with a generation capacity of 12,154 megawatts.
“The government is unable to generate electricity due to gas and energy shortages, despite having high generation capacity,” she said.
The country’s natural gas reserves are low, and the Energy Division supplies LNG by mixing fuel after import, she noted.
“If we were to run entirely on natural gas, we would need 2,000 MMCFT of gas. The Energy Division cannot supply us that much gas because there are various companies, institutions and industrial establishments that also have to be supplied. Among these, fertiliser production is crucial for our agriculture,” Rehana said.
Regarding coal-based power plants, the official noted that among eight such plants, one unit of the Adani Power Plant is facing a technical crisis. “The second unit will be repaired by 26 April. We will receive the power supply then.”
Additionally, due to a power failure in one unit of the SS Power’s IPP plant in Banshkhali, the country is receiving about 650 megawatts less electricity. “We hope to get that as well by 28 April,” she said.
