The government will implement 110MW of load shedding in Dhaka on a trial basis to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply for irrigation in rural areas, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit said today (23 April).
Speaking in parliament, the state minister said the initiative follows directives to prioritise power supply for farmers so that irrigation activities are not disrupted during the harvesting period.
He noted that the country’s peak electricity demand recently stood at around 16,000MW, while generation was about 14,126MW, resulting in a nationwide shortfall of over 2,000MW and necessitating load shedding.
The state minister also highlighted a significant gas shortfall. “Against a daily demand of 3,800 million cubic feet, supply currently stands at 2,636 million cubic feet, leaving a deficit of 1,164 million cubic feet.”
Amit noted that despite having sufficient funds, the lack of necessary infrastructure is preventing a rapid increase in gas imports. However, he assured that infrastructure development has been included in the government’s 180-day priority plan.
He further said that one imported power plant and one coal-based plant are currently offline for maintenance, contributing to the supply disruption. “Once they return to full operation within the next few days, the load shedding situation is expected to ease within a week.”
The state minister expressed regret for the temporary inconvenience caused to the public.
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