Nationwide Power Crisis Deepens Amid Sweltering Heat

Bangladesh is grappling with a worsening electricity crisis as soaring temperatures, rising power demand and mounting generation shortfalls have triggered widespread load-shedding across the country. Officials warn that the situation could deteriorate further if the heatwave intensifies, placing additional pressure on an already strained power system.

According to official estimates, the nationwide power deficit averaged between 2,000 and 2,500 megawatts throughout Sunday. A similar shortfall was recorded during May, but energy sector officials now fear that the current crisis could become more severe as electricity consumption continues to climb with the rising temperatures.

While Dhaka has so far experienced only limited and relatively brief power cuts, conditions outside the capital have become increasingly difficult. In many districts, residents are enduring prolonged outages lasting several hours each day. Industrial and agricultural regions in Mymensingh have been among the hardest hit, with electricity reportedly unavailable for between 12 and 14 hours daily. Businesses, farms and households across the country are facing mounting disruption, prompting widespread public concern.

The government is also considering extending load-shedding to parts of Dhaka if the supply situation worsens. Officials have indicated that any decision affecting the capital would require approval at the highest level, although the Power Minister has said no final decision has yet been taken regarding planned outages in the city.

The current crisis has been driven by several overlapping factors. A severe shortage of natural gas has significantly reduced fuel availability for power generation. Constraints on foreign currency reserves have complicated fuel imports, while technical faults at several major power plants have further reduced electricity production. Recent storms and heavy rainfall have also caused temporary disruptions to parts of the power network, adding to operational difficulties.

To ease the pressure, authorities have decided to divert additional natural gas supplies from other sectors, including fertiliser production, to electricity generation. Instructions have also been issued to increase generation at two power plants operated by United Power Company in the Mymensingh region, where electricity shortages have become particularly acute.

These measures were discussed during a high-level meeting held on Sunday at the Parliament Secretariat under the chairmanship of Power Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood. The meeting was attended by the State Minister for Power, senior officials from the Power Division, the Energy Division and other relevant government agencies.

Speaking later in the day, the Power Minister explained that one unit of the Rampal Power Plant had been shut down because of a mechanical fault, while another unit was operating below its normal capacity. These technical problems, he said, had contributed significantly to the increase in load-shedding. He added that all oil-fired power stations had been instructed to operate at full capacity, and a 300-megawatt diesel-fired power plant in Khulna had already been brought back into operation to support the national grid.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has acknowledged that financial constraints, persistent gas shortages and the inability of two coal-fired power plants to operate at full capacity have made it difficult to stabilise electricity supplies. Officials have also pointed to coordination challenges between the BPDB and electricity distribution companies, describing the present circumstances as among the most serious faced by the country’s power sector in the past five years.

The impact is being felt most sharply by ordinary consumers and businesses. Robin Barua, a resident of the Borai area in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, said electricity was available for only four to five hours during the day, while night-time supply remained unpredictable. He noted that prolonged outages had severely disrupted local commerce, with textile factories and agricultural enterprises suffering considerable losses.

In Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka, resident Sohel Ahmed said his area experiences between eight and ten hours of load-shedding every day. He questioned why neighbourhoods adjacent to the capital should endure such lengthy outages while central Dhaka remains comparatively unaffected.

Similar complaints have emerged from other parts of the country. Emon Ahmed, a resident of Lohagara in Chattogram, described conditions as unbearable, saying electricity had become so unreliable that residents anxiously waited for power to return throughout the day and night.

With temperatures expected to remain high and fuel supply challenges unresolved, energy experts believe Bangladesh’s electricity system will continue to face significant pressure in the coming weeks unless additional generation capacity becomes available or demand eases.