Amid relatively lower demand during Eid vacation, 3 large power units start generation

When the country's overall electricity demand dropped to 8,200 MW during a national holiday, with all offices, industries, and establishments closed for Eid-ul-Azha, three large power plants announced the start of operations for their respective generation units.

These power units include the second unit (660 MW) of the Rampal power plant, the second unit (800 MW) of the Adani Power Plant in India, and the first unit (612 MW) of S Alam's SS Power plant in Banskhali, Chattogram.

Typically, the electricity demand in Bangladesh is 12,000 MW during the daytime peak hours and reaches up to 16,000 MW during evening peak hours.

Data from the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) shows that at 12 noon on Wednesday, when there was no official load shedding, both the demand and supply were recorded as 7,917 MW.

"A top official of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) mentioned that the demand may increase up to 9,000 MW."

He further explained that the relatively calm weather influenced by rain and the closure of offices, industries, and commercial establishments have resulted in this significant drop in electricity demand in the country.

In this situation of significantly lower demand, the three new units have contributed electricity to the national grid.

Among them, the Adani Group has already announced the commercial operation date (COD) of the second unit of its 1600 MW Godda power plant on June 26, which is exclusively set up in Jharkhand, India, to supply electricity to Bangladesh.

Shamim Hasan, Director of Public Relations at BPDB, stated in a text message, "Today (Wednesday), the second unit of the Rampal 1320 MW (660X2) was synchronized with the national grid at 8:51 am."

In a press release, the Alam Group stated that its SS Power Plant will resume supplying electricity today (Wednesday, June 28) at 2 a.m. on an experimental basis, despite the official inauguration being scheduled after Eid-ul-Adha.

Every day, an experimental supply of electricity equivalent to a maximum of 612 MW as per demand will be provided.

This decision has been made in response to the public's demand for electricity and with the aim of addressing the national power crisis.

The SS Power authority is optimistic that this timely initiative will effectively contribute to resolving the power shortage in the country and stabilizing the national grid while alleviating the negative consequences of power outages.

Furthermore, the plant is dedicated to meeting the energy requirements of the nation with utmost determination, aiming to provide uninterrupted power supply for the country's economic growth, industrial operations, and the everyday lives of its people.

Md. Ebadat Hossain Bhuiyan, Chief Financial Officer of SS Power Plant, stated that although the official inauguration of the power plant is scheduled to be held after Eid-ul-Adha, they have decided to resume supplying power to the national grid on an experimental basis, considering the national interest and the public's demand.

"We expect that the power plant will commence full-fledged electricity supply to the people of the country next month, in accordance with our scheduled inauguration plan."

Several power plants in Bangladesh have faced disruptions in production due to the global crisis of the US dollar and energy, resulting in load shedding that has affected people's daily lives.

In this circumstance, the electricity supply from one of the two units of the SS Power Plant to the national grid started on 24 May.

After the successful completion of the experimental power supply process, the power plant was temporarily shut down on 8 June as planned, and the commissioning process started, the S Alam Group said.