Dhaka: Bangladesh is likely to experience around 3,000 megawatts (MW) of load shedding on Thursday due to a significant gap between electricity demand and generation, officials said. Umme Rehana, Joint Secretary of the Power Division’s Planning-1 Branch, disclosed that the country’s electricity demand is estimated at around 17,000 MW, while the generation is expected to remain at about 14,000 MW on Thursday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the forecast indicates a shortage of around 3,000 MW, as mentioned by Umme Rehana at the Secretariat on Wednesday. The country previously faced around 2,086 MW of load shedding on Wednesday, when the supply stood at 13,681 MW. Officials highlighted that rising temperatures and increased demand from industrial zones have further strained the power system.
Umme Rehana also pointed out several ongoing technical and fuel-related issues affecting generation. These include the shutdown of one unit of Adani Power due to technical faults, reduced output from SS Power Limited’s Banshkhali plant following a unit failure, and the closure of a unit at RNPL (Payra Power Plant) due to coal supply constraints.
She expressed optimism for improvements expected from April 26 and April 28 as repairs are completed, while additional coal shipments are likely to arrive in the first week of May. “Hopefully, we will be able to provide about 1,982 MW of additional electricity,” she added, referring to the anticipated improvement in generation once ongoing technical issues are resolved and fuel supplies are restored.