Power outages turn worse
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
FE Report
Power outages have turned worse again with the widening of the gap between the production and supply as technical glitches have cut generation of several plants.
The country's overall electricity generation is now hovering around 4,000 megawatts (mw) against the demand for over 6,000 mw.
Technical glitches and low gas pressure have slashed electricity generation by around 1200 mw.
Technical problems have reduced generation of around 900 mw of electricity especially in Ghorashal, Ashuganj, Khulna and Tongi power plants, while low gas pressure affected generation of around 300 mw including Rauzan, Shikalbaha and Mymensingh power plants.
The load shedding of power has reached unbearable level leaving people wilted under a hot spell and making electrical appliances malfunction.
The government recent step of suspending gas supply to CNG filling station for power generation has proved little in mitigating the suffering of the people.
The backup power systems like the instant power supply (IPS) are also failing to work as batteries do not get enough electricity for recharge, consumers complained.
Resumption of fertiliser production in two gas-guzzling factories has squeezed gas supplies to power plants resulting in lower electricity generation, said a senior Power Development Board (PDB) official.
Load shedding in Dhaka was the maximum 450 mw, while in Chittagong it was 150 mw, in Khulna 130 mw, in Rajshahi, 115 mw, in Comilla 79 mw, in Mymensingh, 60 mw, in Barisal 25 mw and in Rangpur 60 mw.
Residents of Mirpur, Kalyanpur, Jatrabari, Nawabpur, Badda, Rampura, Khilgaon and parts of old Dhaka have been the worst affected areas.
Power outages have turned worse again with the widening of the gap between the production and supply as technical glitches have cut generation of several plants.
The country's overall electricity generation is now hovering around 4,000 megawatts (mw) against the demand for over 6,000 mw.
Technical glitches and low gas pressure have slashed electricity generation by around 1200 mw.
Technical problems have reduced generation of around 900 mw of electricity especially in Ghorashal, Ashuganj, Khulna and Tongi power plants, while low gas pressure affected generation of around 300 mw including Rauzan, Shikalbaha and Mymensingh power plants.
The load shedding of power has reached unbearable level leaving people wilted under a hot spell and making electrical appliances malfunction.
The government recent step of suspending gas supply to CNG filling station for power generation has proved little in mitigating the suffering of the people.
The backup power systems like the instant power supply (IPS) are also failing to work as batteries do not get enough electricity for recharge, consumers complained.
Resumption of fertiliser production in two gas-guzzling factories has squeezed gas supplies to power plants resulting in lower electricity generation, said a senior Power Development Board (PDB) official.
Load shedding in Dhaka was the maximum 450 mw, while in Chittagong it was 150 mw, in Khulna 130 mw, in Rajshahi, 115 mw, in Comilla 79 mw, in Mymensingh, 60 mw, in Barisal 25 mw and in Rangpur 60 mw.
Residents of Mirpur, Kalyanpur, Jatrabari, Nawabpur, Badda, Rampura, Khilgaon and parts of old Dhaka have been the worst affected areas.