The Power Division has instructed authorities to redirect power distribution from urban to rural areas to safeguard the boro paddy, ensuring the nations food security.
"To maintain high-level production of the countrys main staple, irrigation must continue for more than 15 days. Hence, we are proposing one hour of load shedding in DPDC and DESCO areas. This measure would save 300 MW of load, which we plan to divert to rural areas for irrigation," stated State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasril Hamid in an interview with the Daily Observer.
He highlighted the impact of prolonged heat on paddy fields, resulting in decreased water levels across the countrys rivers and ponds. To sustain rice cultivation, irrigation is crucial before harvesting.
The directive follows persistent appeals from farmers and reports from the Rural Electrification Board (REB) regarding irrigation challenges. West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited and NESCO have also advocated for increased supply during harvesting to meet production targets.
Despite a power production capacity of approximately 26,000 megawatts, the country can only generate 13,000 to 15,000 MW due to fuel shortages, against a demand of 14,000 to 16,500 MW.
In addition to diverting power, the State Minister directed Petrobangla to ensure gas supply to RPGCL in Mymensingh and urged the United Group to operate their power plants in full capacity at night to sustain uninterrupted irrigation.
Over the past two weeks, official load shedding averaged around 1500 megawatts, with unofficial figures reaching 4,000 megawatts. REB, serving most rural areas, reported maximum load shedding of 3,000 MW last week, with a demand of 8,800 MW against a supply of 7,500 MW.
Load shedding is distributed across various regions, with Mymensingh experiencing the highest followed by Rangpur, Cumilla, and Rajshahi. PDB officials noted increased power production with enhanced gas supply and emphasized the need to address payment issues to optimize production from furnace oil-fired plants.
In Mymensingh, REB-3 officials cited transmission bottlenecks exacerbating the regions power supply challenges.
