Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Sunday said two power plants have been forced to shut down due to technical and operational problems, causing around 3,000 megawatts of electricity to go offline and making load-shedding unavoidable in different parts of the country, including Dhaka.
Making a statement in Parliament under Rule 300, the minister described the situation as a "national crisis" and urged all to remain united in overcoming it, reports UNB.
"Let us all work together in a united manner to overcome this crisis. I hope the situation will improve within the next two days. Once conditions improve, the severity of load-shedding will decrease," he said.
The minister, however, did not disclose the names of the two affected power plants.
Explaining the reasons behind the shutdowns, Mahmud said one plant had to suspend electricity generation after a leak was detected in a boiler tube, requiring mandatory maintenance.
The other plant remains out of operation because rough conditions in the Bay of Bengal have prevented the unloading of coal needed to run the facility.
"As a result, nearly 3,000 megawatts of electricity have gone out of our transmission system," he told Parliament.
The minister said he had discussed the matter with Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman before making the statement in the House, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.
The unexpected loss of generation capacity has forced the government to impose load-shedding in various parts of the country, with Dhaka also expected to experience scheduled power cuts until normal generation resumes, he added.
