Electricity consumers across the country face a challenging day of power disruptions, with anticipated load shedding projected to peak at 2,894 megawatts during the late afternoon. Persistent generation deficits continue to strain the national grid, causing widespread inconvenience for households, commercial establishments, and industrial operations alike.
Data compiled from Power Grid Bangladesh PLC indicates that the power deficit begins to climb steadily after midday. While the morning hours register relatively moderate supply shortages—starting with 1,003 megawatts at 10:00 am and rising to 1,203 megawatts by midday—the demand curve steepens significantly as the afternoon progresses.
The shortfall is forecasted to reach 1,471 megawatts by 2:00 pm, before jumping sharply to 2,483 megawatts at 3:00 pm and 2,593 megawatts by 4:00 pm. The apex of the daytime shortage is anticipated at 5:00 pm, threatening severe disruptions just as offices close and evening activities commence.
Although a brief easing is projected in the early evening hours, the relief will be short-lived. Load shedding is expected to drop to 2,216 megawatts by 6:00 pm and dip further to 1,528 megawatts by 6:30 pm. However, demand surges back up aggressively heading into the night. At 7:00 pm, shortages will climb back to 2,770 megawatts, followed by 2,550 megawatts at 8:00 pm and 2,703 megawatts by 9:00 pm.
Grid projections show that evening peak demand will hit 18,730 megawatts at 9:00 pm, against a generation capacity of only 15,900 megawatts. Similar pressures persist into the later hours, with demand at 10:00 pm standing at 17,970 megawatts against a generation output of 15,700 megawatts, leaving a deficit of 2,168 megawatts.
These recurring deficits point to broader structural challenges within the energy sector, including fuel supply constraints, maintenance backlogs, and foreign exchange limitations impacting primary fuel imports. Power demand typically fluctuates based on daytime weather conditions, industrial operations, and a surge in residential consumption after sunset. When generation capacity fails to match this soaring demand, authorities are forced to implement rotating outages to protect the national grid from total failure. Similar large-scale outages have severely tested public patience over recent days, compounding operational hurdles for small businesses and urban residents trying to cope with the sweltering conditions.
