City dwellers are set to experience load-shedding during the up-coming summer as the Power Development Board (PDB) will not be able to produce required amount of electricity to support irrigation pumps across the country. To ensure power supply to irrigation pumps during summer, the government has taken up a policy to cut power supply in the urban areas and to increase supply in rural areas as before although PDB claims that it has added 3,000 MW to the national grid in last three years.
In an inter ministerial meeting, the Power Development Board (PDB) official on Wednesday said due to gas shortage they could not produce around 700 to 800 MW of electricity. On the other hand, some power plants are now out of operation due to technical trouble. Those are to produce around 1500 MW.
He said PDB will try to keep load-shedding within 800 MW in rural areas during irrigation season to help ensure food security of the country.
“We could produce around 5,330 MW against the demand for 7,125 MW during the irrigation season, however, the demand for electricity in irrigation is around 1600 MW,” PDB Chairman told the meeting. The demand for electricity in the agriculture sector is growing by 8 per cent (per year).
To manage the load during irrigation period, a central management committee was formed, he told the meeting. “All distribution committees would be formed to monitor the situation,” PDB chairman said at the meeting. This year the country will experience around 1000 MW of load-shedding from March, the official observed. The meeting was held at the secretariat on Wednesday. Officials concerned of the power and energy division, BPC and agriculture were present. Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the adviser to the prime minister, chaired the meeting.
He directed the officials of PDB and BPC to take necessary measures to ensure fuel supply and power generation smoothly to keep the load-shedding at a tolerable level. The agriculture ministry apprised the meeting that the demand for power in irrigation is 1600 MW plus.
Source: Energybangla
