Minister of State for Power and Energy Nasrul Hameed has said that the demand for power will increase by about 1,500 MW to about 16,000 MW during the irrigation season this year.
Speaking at Vidyut Bhawan during an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday, Nasrul directed agencies to be prepared for increased demand so as to ensure uninterrupted supply.
Last year, power demand peaked at 14,782 MW on April 16 during irrigation, but supply was seamless as Bangladesh’s power generation capacity was ramped up.
But fuel shortages following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cut power supplies from June. At that time there was a deficit of 2,000 MW.
The situation eased after the demand for cooling came down during the winter. The plants have recently suffered another fuel shortage, triggering another round of power cuts as the shortfall reached 1,500 MW 10 days ago.