Why power- discrimination in rural areas

Power failures across the country, especially in rural areas, have worsened with the rise of current summer heat.

Although the outage is no longer only a matter of discomfort, it is also a symptom of deeper structural dysfunction within our national economy.

Media reports yesterday said that during peak hours, demand is reaching around 15,000 megawatts.

But due to shortage of production, a shortfall of nearly 1,500 to 2,000 megawatts is being created, leading to increased load shedding, particularly in the countryside.

While load shedding is relatively lower in urban areas, frequent power outages are being reported in suburban and rural regions.

In some districts, load shedding lasts from five to six hours a day. Repeated power cuts amid extreme heat have caused severe suffering in daily life.

At present the SSC examinees across the country are among the worst affected. Farmers are also being deprived of irrigation due to power cuts.

Consumers under the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (REB) are reporting seven to eight hours of power cuts daily.

On Tuesday, daytime peak demand reached 15,500MW at noon, against a generation of 14,069MW, leaving a shortfall of 1,462 megawatts.

The Power Development Board (PDB) forecast a shortfall of 2,932MW at midnight on Tuesday, showing that demand is going unmet even at night.

The government, however, struggles to meet even off-peak demand but fails due to shortages of gas, coal, and furnace oil to generate enough electricity.

Data shows rural areas in Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Cumilla have faced the most severe cuts, with shortfalls exceeding 200 megawatts in these regions.

Fuel constraints have led at least 71 of the country’s 143 power plants to either remain idle or produce well below their capacities.

Of them, 45 of the power plants run on furnace oil, 23 gas, and three are coal-fired plants.

The Power Development Board, in an internal analysis, states that it needs at least 1,200 Million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of gas to run power plants during the summer peak, with a projected demand of 18,500 megawatts.

The PDB’s gas needs are subject to coal-fired and furnace oil plants generating electricity.

The ongoing Middle East conflict has created pressure on the country’s energy sector.

If fuel price is not stabilized in the international market soon, this problem will be more severe in the upcoming days.

As the majority of power is generated by natural gas, gas production should be increased by searching for new sources and renovating existing gas fields.

Renewable and nuclear energy can also be a better alternative for Bangladesh.