Adani power supply falls below 800MW as Unit-2 shuts down

Power supply from Adani Power’s Godda plant has fallen below 800MW after one of its two generating units was forced to shut down due to a technical problem, putting further pressure on Bangladesh’s already strained electricity supply.

The Indian power plant supplied an average of around 748MW yesterday, with only Unit-1 in operation.

Before Unit-2 went offline at 11pm on 9 September, Adani was supplying around 1,430MW.

The supply dropped to 758MW at midnight following the shutdown.

The plant has been vital for Bangladesh in meeting power demand during the summer, with its supply at times exceeding 1,400MW.

The latest disruption comes as the country is already struggling to meet the widening gap between power demand and supply.

At 3am today, the national grid supplied 12,907MW against demand of 15,776MW, leaving a shortfall of 2,869MW.

With Adani’s supply now reduced by roughly half, the situation could deteriorate further, particularly during peak demand hours.

Md Zahurul Islam, member (production) of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), said a feed unit of the main water supply system associated with Adani’s Unit-2 had developed a problem, forcing the unit to shut down around 1am on 10 September.

“Adani informed us that the feed unit malfunctioned and became excessively hot, which prompted the forced shutdown,” he said.

The unit will first have to cool down before repair work can begin, and it may take three to four days to resolve the problem, according to BPDB.

The feed unit, also known as a boiler feed pump, is a critical component of a thermal power plant that continuously pumps high-pressure water into the steam boiler.

Any malfunction in the system can affect the boiler’s operation and force the generating unit to shut down as a safety measure.

The latest technical problem follows a series of disruptions that have affected Adani’s power supply in recent weeks.

The plant earlier reduced generation due to severe congestion on the railway network, which disrupted coal transportation to the Godda plant.

Adani earlier said restrictions on coal transportation and loading had affected coal availability, prompting it to optimise generation and prioritise supply during evening peak hours.

Adani Power’s Godda plant has two units, each with an installed capacity of 800MW. However, its combined actual generation capacity is around 1,496MW.