Power sector: Shrugging off age-old inertia

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Shahiduzzaman Khan
After a brief respite in the holy month of Ramadan, load shedding is back again with its full fury. Frequent power outages are making life miserable for the last few days. Residents, especially in the city, are experiencing power outage at every alternate hour and even at dead of night, which is unusual during this time. The city dwellers, thus, are forced to pass sleepless nights in hot and humid weather conditions.
Although the government claims improvement in overall power scenario, the situation has, in reality, worsened further in recent times. Power officials attributed the current spell of outages to a significant fall in electricity generation after closure of some power generation units for various reasons. Electricity generation has dropped by 1200 megawatt (mw) during the last few days due to technical glitches and low gas pressure.
Frequent load shedding is hampering production in mills and factories as well as office works. A large number of engineering shops, laundry, motor workshops, medical clinics, computer centres and CNG refuelling stations are the worst victims. On top of the load shedding at every alternative hour, the nagging traffic gridlocks amid scorching heat, humidity and lack of water has made the life in the capital grossly unbearable. Amid this blistering heat the scarcity of power and water has made life unbearable.
Reports say the official load shedding early this week was around 1,180mw. Nearly 4,000mw of power is being generated in peak hours in the country against the official demand of 5,350mw. However, the unofficial demand is around 6,000mw. Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) sources say a power shortfall of 1,300mw in Dhaka Zone forces the companies concerned to enforce load shedding in all city areas every hour.
The backup power systems like the instant power supply (IPS) are also failing to work as batteries do not get enough electricity for recharge. According to a report, resumption of fertiliser production in two gas-guzzling factories has squeezed gas supplies to power plants resulting in lower electricity generation.
Power sector officials came up with the same old excuse that consumption of electricity had increased manifold and that, due to poor gas supply and technical problems, the required megawatt of power could not be generated. Increased use of cooling devices at houses, offices and other establishments is also a reason behind the power shortfall, they said. Against the backdrop, how could the government claim that the country's overall power situation had improved? The prime minister, in a cabinet meeting this week, expressed her dissatisfaction over deteriorating power situation in the country. It was decided in the meeting that the government would sign contracts with different companies to set up 25 new power plants within next six months. Construction work of 27 power plants has already started, the meeting was told.
Signing of contracts for constructing various kinds of power plants is continuing for the last few months. But such contracts are mostly for quick rental power plants. While overseas investors are still to come in a big way, domestic power generation continues to be in precarious condition. Since coming to power, the grand alliance government could generate 900mw power, which is scanty as compared to the ever-increasing demand. The authorities called upon the city dwellers for patience and they pledged to fulfill their electricity demand by the year 2014. But the way developments are progressing, it is unlikely that the power problems will be solved by the stipulated time.
Every year demand is increasing at the rate of 10 per cent and generation capacity of older power plants decreasing significantly. Officials claim that nearly 800mw electricity would be added to the national grid within this year. If this happens, there will still be a shortage of 1000mw. By next year, more electricity will definitely be added, but the deficit will then be about 1200 megawatt. How this shortfall could be met remains a big question.
The government has plans to import electricity from the neighbouring countries. Reports say 100 megawatt electricity will be imported from Tripura. Countries like Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal etc., might be potential sources of power imports. But what's about other options that need to be explored locally? Compulsory installation of solar devices on the rooftops of the high-rise buildings is a good move. But who is going to monitor its implementation? A business leader, pointing his finger at the dismal state of power supply situation, told a recent meeting: "We have never been short of plans, whether long term or mid term, but we could never implement those plans."
In fact, there have been areas where progress has been slow, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the energy sector, most notably in power generation. The failure to provide new electricity and gas connections to new homes and businesses is a major economic constraint. The authorities are not addressing the intolerable sufferings of those who are waiting for new connections for the last seven months or more. Thousands of newly built flats and houses remain vacant in the absence of power and gas connections. As a result, house rents have gone up and the relations between tenants and landlords soured over rents at many places.
Recent cabinet meeting decided to form a committee with a view to generating more electricity in coming months. The committee should also find out the reason why foreign entrepreneurs are still hesitant to invest in power sector, despite offering them attractive incentives. It needs to be seen as to why the power sector is failing to come out of age-old inertia.
szkhan@dhaka.net