Power Cuts to Ease Soon, Says State Minister

Bangladesh is reeling under intense heat, with widespread load-shedding adding to public hardship. The recent surge in power outages has disrupted daily life and begun affecting key sectors, including industry and agriculture, raising concerns over how long the situation will persist.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit said the situation is expected to improve soon, with load-shedding likely to fall to a tolerable level in the coming days.

Officials from the power division indicated that electricity imports from Adani Power could resume from April 26. In addition, around 650 megawatts of electricity is expected to come online from the SS Power plant in Banshkhali starting April 28.

Joint Secretary Umme Rehana said nearly 1,300 megawatts of additional power supply may be available from April 28, which should help ease the crisis. She added that if a currently idle unit affected by fuel shortages is restarted, total additional supply could reach around 2,000 megawatts by the first week of May.

The state minister expressed optimism that the power situation would begin to stabilise within a week. He noted that supply from Adani Power has dropped to about half due to technical issues in one unit, while the Banshkhali plant is facing similar constraints. Discussions are ongoing with operators to restore full capacity.

However, experts caution that the situation remains fragile, particularly if ongoing tensions in the Middle East continue to disrupt global energy supplies. They warn that load-shedding may persist unless the broader fuel supply situation improves.

Energy expert Ijaz Hossain said that activating oil-based power plants with a capacity of 6,000 to 7,000 megawatts could reduce outages in the short term. But he warned that the high cost of such generation would place additional strain on the economy.

He noted that the government is already providing substantial subsidies in the energy sector, estimated at around Tk 40,000 crore, which could rise to Tk 60,000 crore. Given current economic conditions, significantly increasing reliance on furnace oil-based power generation may not be financially sustainable.