Power sector faces challenges as lack of auto-response technique drags on 

Bangladesh's power sector is set to face huge challenges as more renewable power plants would come into operations whereas majority of the country's power plants  does not have modern techniques to respond automatically with the variability of demand, experts' said.

"The situation would be more challenging when the mega Rooppur Nuclear power projects and other renewable power plants would come into operations in coming days as we don't have the options of FGMO or other modern techniques to match with frequency related issues," Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, Director, Centre for Energy Research (CER) of United International University said.

Industry insiders assume that the FGMO system must be implemented in the national grid before the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, to stabilize the grid frequency effectively.

Impacts of "Unstable Frequency" in Bangladesh is huge, it reduces system security and increases blackout risk, causes equipment damage and energy losses, hampers integration of large and renewable power plants and increases power interruptions and reduces reliability, which the country is experiencing for ages.

"The renewable energy sector in Bangladesh is rapidly evolving, with projections suggesting significant growth, adding a record 42 megawatts (MW) of new rooftop solar capacity in 2023 alone. However, Rooppur is set to come into operation; to tap the potentials we need a very strong and smart grid system to adjust frequency and avoid rampant grid failure," he said.

"Bangladesh's power system has suffered from unstable system frequency, due to the lack of proper frequency control mechanisms, it's a million dollar question that if our system is ready to take more burden with this dilapidated system," Prof Dr Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Adviser, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources asked on Saturday.

Challenges to the grid for stabilization and balancing of power flow is a crucial issue here, research based information is the only key to address it, the adviser has said.

"Usually "Power grid" refers to the transmission system for electricity. Conventional power system usually has centralized generation and distributed consumers. The generation is varied according to the demand," Shahriar has said.

However, a smart grid is an electricity network that uses digital technologies to improve the delivery of electricity by matching supply and demand in real time. Smart grids use two-way communication, sensors, and software to make the grid more reliable and stable while reducing costs.

"What we have seen over the years that electricity consumption has radically changed. So, we are introducing renewable sources like solar and wind. Now we need to move towards the smart grid, which we are working on," Dr. Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said.