The country's overall fuel consumption pattern in power plants reversed during the quota reform movement, with a sharp rise in electricity generation from coal-fired power plants.
State-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) leaned significantly towards coal-fired power plants, cutting the share of gas-fired and oil-fired plants.
This was largely due to difficulties in transporting furnace oil from depots to power plants amid fierce student protests and lower coal prices in the international market, BPDB Member (generation) Khandaker Mokammel Hossain told The Financial Express.
The persistent delay in resuming operations at the Summit LNG Terminal in the Bay of Bengal also contributed to the increased reliance on coal-fired power plants, he said.
Student agitation seeking reform in the quota system in public job recruitment began in early July and escalated to violence following a government crackdown in mid-July.
According to BPDB data, Bangladesh's electricity generation from coal-fired power plants was only 70 million kilowatt-hour (MWh) on June 30, 2024 -- which was just 23.52 per cent of the country's total electricity generation of 297.59 MWh.
Power generation from gas-fired plants was 131.87 MWh, and oil-fired plants produced 65.77 MWh on the same date, according to official figures.
On July 18, however, the share of coal-fired power generation almost doubled to 133.21 MWh, when the movement was at its peak. This was 39.35 per cent of the country's total power generation of 338.52 MWh.
Power generation from gas-fired plants was 124.57 MWh and oil-fired plants produced 47.60 MWh on July 18, 2024, according to official data.
Power generation from coal-fired power plants,
however, began to fall again and as of August 7, it was 96.55 MWh, representing 35.66 per cent of the country's total power generation of 270.71 MWh.
Power generation from gas-fired plants was 130.12 MWh and oil-fired plants produced 12.58 MWh on August 7, 2024, according to official data.
The BPDB has yet to release data on power generation after August 7.
During the agitation, the government imposed a curfew and blocked internet services, disrupting the supply chain for all products, including furnace oil, which led to lower power generation from such plants, said BPDB Member Khandaker Mokammel Hossain.
Disruptions to furnace oil imports also contributed to a surge in coal consumption for power generation, the BPDB official added.
Summit's floating, storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) has yet to fix the technical glitch to resume liquefied natural gas (LNG) re-gasification, a senior official of state-run Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL) said.
The country's recent turmoil, coupled with adverse weather and unclear seawater in the Bay, has also delayed repair work, said the RPGCL official.
RPGCL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Petrobangla, handles LNG trading in Bangladesh.
The LNG terminal ceased operations on May 30 after discovering damage to its FSRU.
Delays in releasing fuel and spare parts at customs have caused power outages and losses due to port delay demurrage, an independent power plant owner said.
Bangladesh had a total installed power generation capacity of around 25,000 MW at the end of 2023, of which about 11,500 MW, or 45-46 per cent, was gas-fueled. Most of this capacity was either operating below capacity or offline.
At the end of July, Bangladesh was supplying about 949 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas to its gas-fired power plants, which was nearly one-third of their combined demand of about 2,316 mmcfd, according to Petrobangla data.
azizjst@yahoo.com