India’s Adani resumes power supply to Bangladesh after 17 hours

India’s Adani Group resumed power supply to Bangladesh on Saturday after a 17-hour shutdown following technical faults at its power plant in Godda in the India state of Jharkhand.

Power supply from one of the two 800-megawatt units of the coal-based power plant began at 6:00 am.

Three responsible officials from Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) and Power Development Board (PDB) confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo.

Officials at PGCB and PDB confirmed Prothom Alo that the Adani plant previously supplied up to 1,400 megawatts of electricity to the national grid. Even after 8 April, more than 750 megawatts were being supplied—until the complete shutdown.

PGCB and PDB sources said that, since Saturday is a weekend, electricity demand is slightly lower than usual. As of 3:00pm, the peak demand reached 14,000 megawatts, during which 300 megawatts of load shedding was carried out. PDB requested more gas from Petrobangla to cover the deficit.

PDB member (generation) Md Zahurul Islam told Prothom Alo additional power was generated from oil-based plants to bridge the gap, and a request has been made for increased gas supply. However, it is a comfort for the PDB as power supply from the unit 1 of Adani power plant has been restored.

There have been disputes over the price of coal used at the Adani plant, and discussions between Adani and PDB are ongoing. Adani has also demanded payment of outstanding dues on several occasions. Last year, the company temporarily stopped power supply once. After regular bill payments resumed, one unit was reactivated. In February, PDB requested full resumption of supply, and by early March, both units were supplying power. Bangladesh’s dues to Adani now reduced to USD 500 million, according to PDB sources.

The Adani coal-fired plant has a total capacity of 1,600 megawatts, consisting of two 800-megawatt units. Bangladesh has committed to purchasing electricity from the plant for 25 years. Commercial production from the first unit began in April 2023, and the second in June 2023. PDB signed a power purchase agreement with Adani in 2017. A government-formed interim committee is currently reviewing the terms of this agreement.