A prolonged fuel shortage has forced the complete operational shutdown of the 210-megawatt Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL) power plant in Shambhuganj, plunging Mymensingh Division into an escalating energy crisis. The state-backed facility has remained entirely inactive for 26 consecutive days. Compounding the regional deficit, two neighbouring private power plants have seen their output drop below half capacity, triggering widespread, severe load-shedding across both rural areas and urban centres.

Addressing the situation, AHM Rashed, Managing Director of RPCL Mymensingh, placed the blame for the fuel deficit on policy decisions made under the former interim government led by Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus. Rashed claimed that a 10,000 crore taka deal regarding oil, gas, and mineral supplies involving the United States hit complications when US deliveries ceased, directly causing the national gas scarcity that ultimately halted power generation at the Shambhuganj station.

Substantial Investment Crippled by Long-Term Fuel Shortfalls

Built in 1997 at a cost of approximately 1,500 crore taka across three expansion phases, the Shambhuganj plant was established to meet the energy demands of Mymensingh’s expanding residential and industrial landscape. The generation project was executed by state-owned RPCL, while the Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL) laid the transmission pipeline to feed natural gas to the facility.

Despite the heavy initial investment, the plant has suffered from chronic gas supply shortages for nearly two decades. Fuel allocation began a steady decline after 2007, preventing the facility from operating anywhere near its installed capacity:

• Capacity Plunge: Prior to the total 26-day shutdown, generation at the 210-MW plant had dropped to just 30–35 MW.

• Declining Plant Factors: Annual figures highlight a steady operational drop, with plant factors falling from 65–70 per cent in FY 2021–22 down to 45 per cent in FY 2022–23, followed by monthly production levels dipping below 40 MW in FY 2023–24.

Mounting Public Disruption and Economic Strain

The prolonged outage at Shambhuganj has severely strained the regional grid. Rural communities report power cuts ranging between 12 and 15 hours daily, while urban residents in district towns endure intermittent blackouts lasting four to ten hours.

Local poultry and dairy farmers face mounting financial losses, while households struggle with the double burden of persistent power cuts and concurrent low gas pressure for domestic cooking. RPCL management stated that the facility remains fully ready to resume generation as soon as natural gas supply to the station is restored.