Outages ease slightly as rain cuts demand by 2000mw

The country is experiencing lower than expected load shedding as rain has cooled down the scorching heat despite closure of SS Power Plant of Banshkhali Chattogram on coal crisis, which was in operation on test basis for several days last week, said sources.
Rain has cut the countrywide electricity demand by around 2,000 megawatt (MW) Saturday, which helped easing the load shedding, said a senior official of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
The SS power plant was supplying around 300 MW of electricity to the national grid before shutting its operation due to shortage of coal, said the official.
The government had asked the SS Power Plant to generate electricity to ease the acute electricity crisis following shut of 1,244 MW Payra coal-fired power plant on coal crisis.
SS Power plant continued operation until having coal stocks, said the official. The power plant is set to re-initiate operation on test basis after a week, he added.
Meanwhile, the official Facebook page of state-run Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO) has been hacked, said energy ministry’s spokesperson Mir Mohammad Aslam Uddin.
DESCO has requested all concerned to neglect any post to be shared from the page and avoid sending and receiving messages to this page until the page is restored.

Azizjst@yahoo.com