A severe fuel crisis has disrupted power generation across greater Chattogram, with six of the region’s 28 power plants already out of operation and seven others producing at only around one-third of their capacity.
The deteriorating situation has contributed to prolonged power cuts across the city and surrounding areas, despite official figures from the Power Development Board indicating that electricity supply is matching demand. As temperatures rise, residents in several parts of Chattogram say uninterrupted electricity is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain even for an hour at a time.
The disruption is also affecting water supplies in residential areas because households depend on electricity for water distribution. In rural parts of Chattogram, residents have reported power cuts lasting between eight and 10 hours a day.
According to the Power Development Board’s report issued on Tuesday, six of the 28 power plants in the Chattogram region were completely shut. Nine plants were operating at only about one-third of their capacity, although another part of the report identifies seven plants as being at that reduced level of generation.
Among the plants currently out of operation are the Hathazari power plant, Kaptai Solar with a capacity of 7.4 megawatts, Raozan-1 and Raozan-2, each with a capacity of 210 megawatts, Teknaf Solar with 20 megawatts and United Power with 50 megawatts.
Seven plants have also seen generation fall sharply. These include Anlima Energy Ltd, with a capacity of 116 megawatts; Anwara United, 300 megawatts; Baraka, 50 megawatts; Baraka Karnaphuli; Julda-1; Julda-2; and Zodiac, with a capacity of 54 megawatts.
The situation presents a clear contrast between official supply figures and the experience of consumers. The Power Development Board says Chattogram currently has sufficient electricity to meet demand. During peak hours, demand is recorded at 1,068.79 megawatts, with an equivalent level of supply. During off-peak periods, demand stands at 958.87 megawatts, which the authorities also say is being fully supplied.
On paper, therefore, there should be no load-shedding. Residents, however, are reporting a very different picture.
In Kalpolok residential area, electricity was unavailable from 6.30am until 10am on Wednesday. Although the official records showed zero megawatts of load-shedding at the time, the actual shortfall was reportedly more than 200 megawatts.
Frequent power cuts have also been reported in Patharghata, Askardighi Par, Halishahar, Kalurghat and Bayezid Bostami, including areas with significant industrial activity. Residents and industrial operators say electricity is unavailable for an average of eight to 10 hours a day in some locations.
The industrial sector is already feeling the consequences. Production at factories in and around the Bayezid Bostami industrial area and other manufacturing zones has reportedly fallen by as much as 30 per cent. Many factories, apartment buildings and large offices are relying on generators to maintain essential operations, but even backup generation has not been sufficient to fully offset the disruption.
The fuel shortage is not limited to power generation. Gas shortages have also kept the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) out of production for more than five months.
CUFL requires around 45 million cubic feet of gas per day to operate its fertiliser plant. However, the facility has been unable to secure the required supply. Production last continued on 3 March before the plant was shut from the following day because of the gas shortage.
The prolonged closure has placed the fertiliser plant under significant financial pressure and has also created uncertainty for more than 1,000 workers and employees associated with the facility. The disruption comes at a time when fertiliser production remains closely linked to the availability of adequate natural gas.
Samiran Marma, deputy manager for administration at CUFL, said the plant had remained closed since 4 March because it was not receiving gas according to its requirements. He said the company expected to receive gas towards the end of the current month, which could pave the way for production to resume.
The continuing disruption at power plants and the prolonged closure of CUFL point to a broader fuel-supply problem affecting both electricity generation and industrial production in Chattogram. While official electricity figures show a balance between demand and supply, prolonged outages reported by consumers suggest that local distribution and generation constraints are not being fully reflected in the headline figures.
If fuel supplies do not improve, officials and industry operators fear that more power plants could be forced to suspend generation. That would place additional pressure on households, water services and industrial production across the region, particularly during periods of high electricity demand caused by rising temperatures.
