Staff Correspondent:

The government is planning to use more oil-fired power plants and ramp up fuel imports to meet the growing demand of electricity in the ongoing summer and upcoming Eid-ul-Adha, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources advisor Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan saidon Monday (May 12).

“On the occasion of Eid (Eid-ul-Adha) people travel to villages (from city) which help to reduce air pollution. We also will operate more oil-fired power plants to meet growing electricity demand in summer,” he said at a press conference held at the Bidyut Bhaban in the capital.

Fouzul Kabir said, “To address the summer power situation, the government will import four additional LNG cargoes. With these measures in place, we expect to keep load shedding under control.”

As summer sets in and temperatures continue to rise, electricity consumption has already seen a significant increase.

Between 10 April and 10 May, power demand surged by 1,425 MW, according to data from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd (PGCBL).

Both electricity consumption and load shedding rose during this period.

On 10 April, the country’s peak power generation reached 14,593 MW against the demand of 14,593 MW, while load shedding was recorded at 236 MW.

By 10 May, peak generation climbed to 16,018 MW, but demand outpaced supply at 16,700 MW, resulting in 651 MW of load shedding.

Officials from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and PGCBL warned that without prompt and proactive action, the load shedding situation could worsen significantly.