6 power plants shut in Khulna amid fuel crisis

A deepening fuel shortage, triggered by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, has severely disrupted power generation in the Khulna region, forcing six out of its ten power plants to shut down and cutting electricity production to nearly half.

According to power sector officials, the region’s total installed capacity stands at around 3,000 megawatts. However, multiple plants including Khulna’s 330MW unit, Faridpur’s 50MW plant, North-West Power Company’s 225MW facility, Madhumati’s 100MW unit, and Rupsha’s 105MW plant remain idle due to a lack of fuel supply.

Despite being operationally ready, these plants are unable to generate electricity.

“We are not receiving fuel, and there is no dispatch demand from the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC),” said Chief Engineer Md. Alamgir Mahfuzur Rahman of the Khulna 330MW power plant. “We are ready to resume production as soon as fuel becomes available.”

Although the coal-fired Rampal power plant is running at full capacity, it is insufficient to meet the region’s growing demand.

During the summer, Khulna’s daily electricity demand reaches approximately 1,600 megawatts. The shortfall has led to widespread load shedding, with many areas experiencing outages lasting three to five hours daily.

To manage the crisis, distribution authorities have introduced measures to curb consumption.
Zakiruzzaman, Managing Director of the West Zone Power Distribution Company (WZPDCL), said load shedding has become unavoidable given the limited supply.

“We are working to reduce wastage and have urged businesses to limit electricity use,” he said, adding that shops and shopping malls have been requested to close after 7 pm to ease pressure on the grid.