Power shortfall tops 3,500MW as gas, coal and oil shortages hit generation

Bangladesh's power shortfall surged past 3,500 megawatts on Saturday as shortages of gas, coal and fuel oil squeezed electricity generation amid intense heat, triggering repeated load shedding across the country.

Power Grid Bangladesh data showed electricity demand at 16,469 MW at 5pm against supply of just 12,952 MW, leaving a deficit of 3,517 MW.

The shortfall remained above 3,000 MW for the next two hours.

At 6pm, supply stood at 13,362 MW against demand of 16,389 MW, leaving a deficit of 3,027 MW.

Demand climbed to 17,541 MW at 7pm while supply reached 14,531 MW, resulting in a 3,010 MW shortfall.

By 7:30pm, demand rose slightly to 17,551 MW, while supply increased to 15,019 MW. The deficit then narrowed to 2,532 MW.

The shortage led to repeated power cuts in Dhaka and other parts of the country throughout the day, adding to public suffering during the intense heat.

In some areas, electricity went out again after being restored for only an hour. Elsewhere, utilities had to cut supply outside scheduled load-shedding periods.

Industrial production was also disrupted by the power cuts.

Gas supply plunges

A sharp fall in gas supply added to the pressure on electricity generation, preventing gas-fired plants from operating at capacity.

Petrobangla data showed total gas supply at 2.192 billion cubic feet as of 8pm on Saturday.

Of that, 1.612 billion cubic feet came from domestic sources and only 580 million cubic feet from imported LNG.

Just days earlier, LNG was supplying more than 750 million cubic feet, meaning imported gas availability dropped substantially within a short period.

The decline came as Summit's LNG terminal remained shut from 6am to 8pm on Saturday for maintenance, disrupting supplies for much of the day.

During the shutdown, Excelerate's terminal supplied around 550 million to 570 million cubic feet of gas.

Officials expected supplies to improve somewhat after the Summit terminal resumed operations at night.

But uncertainty over incoming LNG cargoes means the pressure may not ease quickly.

Two LNG cargoes have been confirmed for September 1 and September 4. Several previously scheduled cargoes, however, did not arrive, putting additional strain on the supply system.

Bangladesh's official daily gas demand stands at 3.8 billion cubic feet.

Industry insiders put actual demand much higher, at between 5 billion and 5.5 billion cubic feet.

Even under normal conditions, the country supplies only around 2.65 billion cubic feet a day, leaving a substantial structural gap between demand and supply.

Bangladesh Power Development Board Chairman Rezaul Karim said reduced output from major coal-fired power plants, including Payra, Adani and Matarbari, was also contributing to the electricity shortage.

Gas-fired electricity generation has meanwhile fallen below 4,500 MW as gas supplies remained below 700 million cubic feet, he said.

The PDB has also been unable to raise generation from oil-fired plants sufficiently to meet demand.

Coal, oil shortages deepen crisis

Coal supply problems have further squeezed generation. One unit of the Matarbari coal-fired power plant remains shut.

Bangladesh is also receiving 500 MW to 600 MW less electricity from Adani's coal-fired plant because of a coal shortage.

The Payra power plant, meanwhile, requires long-term maintenance.

But the severity of the current power shortage means the plant cannot be completely shut down to carry out the necessary work.

The PDB has sought to compensate for the lost generation by increasing output from oil-fired plants.

That effort has also run into trouble because of inadequate fuel oil supplies, preventing all available plants from being brought online.

--