One unit of Adani power plant closed, load shedding increases
As the temperature rises, electricity demand is also increasing amid the fuel crisis.
Against this backdrop, the Power Development Board (PDB) is struggling to maintain production and supply as per demand.
For some time now, load shedding of more than 2,000 megawatts has been carried out during certain hours of the day.
Meanwhile, one unit of the Indian company Adani’s power plant has gone out of operation due to technical reasons, further increasing load shedding.
Sources from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) and Adani said that after midnight on Tuesday, a warning signal was detected from the bearing of a unit of Adani Power’s plant in India.
Engineers at the plant identified the issue by sound. To avoid a major accident, production in that unit was immediately shut down.
PDB Member (Generation) Md Jahurul Islam told Prothom Alo that due to a technical fault, production from one unit of Adani has stopped. It may take a few days to resume operation.
The Adani coal-based power plant in Jharkhand, India, has a capacity of 1,600 megawatts. In 2017, PDB signed a power purchase agreement with Adani. The plant has two units, each with a capacity of 800 megawatts. According to PDB sources, the plant had been supplying around 1,500 megawatts on average in recent days. After one unit was shut down, production has dropped to around 750–770 megawatts.
After the outbreak of war in the Middle East on 28 February, a global fuel crisis emerged. Due to shortages of coal, gas, and fuel oil, it has not been possible to generate electricity according to demand in the country.
PDB sources said that today (Wednesday), peak electricity demand reached 15,690 megawatts. Due to the gap between demand and production, load shedding of around 2,500 megawatts had to be implemented during this period. From the afternoon, as heat increased, load shedding also began to rise. It may increase further during peak demand hours at night.
PDB Member Jahurul Islam said efforts are being made to increase electricity production from furnace oil-based power plants. There are also considerations to operate diesel-based plants.
According to Power Grid Bangladesh PLC (PGCB), there are 136 power plants in the country. Among them, 13 are out of production due to gas shortage, 9 due to lack of fuel oil, and 8 due to maintenance work.
Among the remaining plants, 17 are solar plants, which do not produce electricity at night. Five diesel-based plants are also kept shut due to high costs. Gas-based generation capacity is currently 12,200 megawatts, but due to gas shortage, only about 5,200 megawatts can be produced.
Although electricity demand has now exceeded 16,000 megawatts during the early summer heat, total production remains between 13,000 and 14,000 megawatts. As a result, regular load shedding is necessary to cover the deficit.
There is also ongoing tension between Adani Power and the Bangladesh authorities over dues and payments. A few days ago, the Indian company sent a letter to the government urging quick payment of outstanding bills, warning that failure to do so could disrupt uninterrupted power supply.
There is a dispute between PDB and Adani over coal prices used in the power plant. Adani is billing at higher coal prices, while PDB is paying based on market rates. A writ petition against the Adani agreement is ongoing in the High Court of the country.
Meanwhile, an interim government-appointed contract review committee submitted a report in January after reviewing the agreement. The report stated that evidence of corruption and irregularities was found in the Adani power purchase agreement and its process. International lawyers appointed by the Power Division are currently working on the matter.
In 2017, PDB signed a power purchase agreement with Adani Power Limited. According to the agreement, Bangladesh will purchase electricity from the plant for 25 years.