Anisul Islam Noor :
The people have been reeling under the frequent load-shedding in Dhaka and across the country with the decrease of power generation.
On Friday, people of Badda, Gandaria, Jatrabai, Rampura, Mirpur and Baridhara area experienced frequent load shedding in weekend. Electricity did not restore till 7pm last night from 12pm.
However, the Power Division officials assured that there will be no load shedding after the gas supply in the major power plants become normal.
Generation capacity of at least 2,350MW remains unutilised due to shortage of gas supply and different technical glitches against a total installed capacity of 13,000MW, officials said.
They hinted load shedding may prolong till September 5 as Gas Transmission Company Limited has been cleaning residues gathered in two major gas pipelines since August 25 and would continue until first week this month.
Urban people including those in the capital have been experiencing power cuts for four to six times a day while the rural people are the worst victims as they hardly feel the presence of power supply.
Power utility officials said that the shortage of electricity was approximately 2,000MW against a demand for at least 10,000MW although official data showed that the demand was about 9,000MW.
Power sector officials said that the company could do the maintenance work during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays or in the winter when the demand for gas supply falls significantly.
Company Managing Director Md Mahbub Sarwar could not be reached for his comments.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, the country’s largest gas utility, alone received 1,650mmcfd gas against the regular supply of 1,700mmcfd, said its Managing Director Mir Moshiur Rahman.
Dhaka Power Distribution Company Executive Director Md Ramiz Uddin Sarker said that they had to impose power cuts once or twice a day as the supply shortage was 180MW against a demand for about 1,300MW.
Officials claimed that the highest demand for power in entire Dhaka city was 2,500MW DPDC, Dhaka Electric Supply Company and Rural Electrification Board jointly supplied 2,200MW.
Many residents said that they were experiencing power cuts by at least four times a day.
Ramiz Uddin claimed that the additional power cuts might have been caused by technical glitches, not for supply shortage.
Shortage of power supply often exceeds 1,000MW in the rural areas against a demand for about 4,700MW, said officials.
Besides, a good number of power plants often remain unused as they have exhausted their economic life, they said.
Shortage of gas supply cuts power generation by over 1,200MW which was approximately 700MW before the gas transmission company started maintenance work in the two pipelines, 61km pipeline with 30 inch diameters from Bakhrabad to Ashuganj and 60km pipeline with the same diameter from Bakhrabad to Shiddhirganj.
Petrobangla, the state-run Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation, had been supplying more than 2,750mmcfd gas before the beginning of the maintenance work.
The people have been reeling under the frequent load-shedding in Dhaka and across the country with the decrease of power generation.
On Friday, people of Badda, Gandaria, Jatrabai, Rampura, Mirpur and Baridhara area experienced frequent load shedding in weekend. Electricity did not restore till 7pm last night from 12pm.
However, the Power Division officials assured that there will be no load shedding after the gas supply in the major power plants become normal.
Generation capacity of at least 2,350MW remains unutilised due to shortage of gas supply and different technical glitches against a total installed capacity of 13,000MW, officials said.
They hinted load shedding may prolong till September 5 as Gas Transmission Company Limited has been cleaning residues gathered in two major gas pipelines since August 25 and would continue until first week this month.
Urban people including those in the capital have been experiencing power cuts for four to six times a day while the rural people are the worst victims as they hardly feel the presence of power supply.
Power utility officials said that the shortage of electricity was approximately 2,000MW against a demand for at least 10,000MW although official data showed that the demand was about 9,000MW.
Power sector officials said that the company could do the maintenance work during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays or in the winter when the demand for gas supply falls significantly.
Company Managing Director Md Mahbub Sarwar could not be reached for his comments.
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, the country’s largest gas utility, alone received 1,650mmcfd gas against the regular supply of 1,700mmcfd, said its Managing Director Mir Moshiur Rahman.
Dhaka Power Distribution Company Executive Director Md Ramiz Uddin Sarker said that they had to impose power cuts once or twice a day as the supply shortage was 180MW against a demand for about 1,300MW.
Officials claimed that the highest demand for power in entire Dhaka city was 2,500MW DPDC, Dhaka Electric Supply Company and Rural Electrification Board jointly supplied 2,200MW.
Many residents said that they were experiencing power cuts by at least four times a day.
Ramiz Uddin claimed that the additional power cuts might have been caused by technical glitches, not for supply shortage.
Shortage of power supply often exceeds 1,000MW in the rural areas against a demand for about 4,700MW, said officials.
Besides, a good number of power plants often remain unused as they have exhausted their economic life, they said.
Shortage of gas supply cuts power generation by over 1,200MW which was approximately 700MW before the gas transmission company started maintenance work in the two pipelines, 61km pipeline with 30 inch diameters from Bakhrabad to Ashuganj and 60km pipeline with the same diameter from Bakhrabad to Shiddhirganj.
Petrobangla, the state-run Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation, had been supplying more than 2,750mmcfd gas before the beginning of the maintenance work.
