Meghnaghat plant shutdown worsens power supply situation

Power supply situation in the country turned worse Tuesday, following shutdown of the 450 megawatt (MW) Meghnaghat power plant for routine maintenance, reports UNB. Official sources said the operation of the Meghnaghat power plant was suspended on Tuesday afternoon for routine maintenance, which led to further shortfall in power supply. The availability of power came down to 3,600 MW at the peak evening hours after the shutdown, against the demand for more than 5,500 MW. The previous day's generation was 3,950 MW. "Both the units at the Meghnaghat power plant were shut down to carry out routine work. It will take two days more to resume production," said PDB chief engineer (generation) Abul Quasem. Because of the fall in generation, different areas in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country experienced substantial load-shedding. Even, many areas had to experience load-shedding for 5-6 hours at a stretch. PDB sources said a number of power plants across the country also remained out of operation because of gas shortage. They said the electricity consumers will face increased load-shedding in the coming summer, if the gas supply is not increased, as the demand will go up by 10-12 per cent then.