Power supply will increase in November

The ongoing electricity crisis will continue for some time as gas-based power plants having the capacity to produce 6000MW of electricity are lying idle due for lack of gas supply.

The electricity generation from gas-based power plants now stands at 11500MW out of the total capacity of 25,284MW. 

Daily load-shedding hours have jumped to six hours in Dhaka and more than double in villages across the country, official figures suggest. 

“The natural gas supply to power plants came down to 900mmcfd (million cubic feet per day) from 1100mmcfd previously,” State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid has said.

 “Electricity supply will improve in November. The fall in gas supply has delayed the plan to overcome the electricity crisis by October,” Nasrul told journalists at Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday.

He said the government is giving top priority to gas supply to industrial production.

Power Secretary Md Habibur Rahman said the eastern zone only gets 240MW of electricity from the western zone despite the capacity to supply 1100mw of electricity.

“The supply crisis is creating additional load shedding across the country,” he said, adding, “Gas supply shortfall is also responsible for the drop in electricity generation.”

He said the Power Division is working to repowering the Ghorasal substation. The repowering of the Ghorasal will reduce the load-shedding.