Power distribution officials in several rural districts have sought police protection after widespread load-shedding during late-night FIFA World Cup matches triggered protests, road blockades and attacks on electricity offices, highlighting a deepening power crisis driven by fuel shortages and rising demand.
The Sherpur Rural Electricity Association has written to the Superintendent of Police seeking security for 11 installations, including its office and substations, following threats against officials and employees. Similar concerns have emerged across the country as consumers staged demonstrations in at least seven districts on Sunday over prolonged power outages.
Protests were reported in Tangail, Jhalakathi, Netrokona, Rajshahi, Sherpur, Sylhet and Dohar in Dhaka district. In several places, angry consumers attempted to vandalise power facilities, prompting distribution companies to seek additional security for field-level offices.
The unrest comes as Bangladesh experiences an average daily load-shedding of more than 2,000 megawatts over the past three weeks. Although the country's installed generation capacity exceeds 28,000 megawatts, actual production has fallen to between 13,000 and 14,000 megawatts because of fuel shortages.
Meanwhile, electricity demand on the national grid has surpassed 17,000 megawatts, forcing daily load-shedding of 2,500 to 3,000 megawatts.
Data from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) show that, unlike previous years when demand declined after midnight, electricity consumption now remains high throughout the night. Load-shedding has increased after 10 pm, with the highest levels recorded between midnight and dawn.
Power sector officials attributed the unusual demand to the ongoing FIFA World Cup, whose matches are being played from 11 pm until early morning, widespread overnight charging of battery-operated rickshaws, technical faults at power plants, adverse weather and the continuing fuel crisis.
In Kendua of Netrokona, the Rural Electrification Board office came under attack during the Argentina-Jordan World Cup match after a power outage. Kendua Zonal Office DGM Omar Faruk said the area requires 27 megawatts of electricity but receives only nine megawatts. A written complaint has been filed with the local police station.
In Sherpur's Nakla and Jhenaigati upazilas, residents who were unable to watch World Cup matches went to local rural electricity offices and threatened officials and employees.
"The requirement is 70 megawatts. We are getting only 35 megawatts," said Akhtaruzzaman, acting General Manager of Sherpur Rural Electricity. "So it was not possible to supply electricity throughout the World Cup football match."
In Tangail, residents of Delduar and Mirzapur blocked the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway in front of the Jamurki rural power substation, causing severe traffic congestion while demanding uninterrupted electricity. An angry crowd also attempted to vandalise the substation. Consumers also laid siege to the rural power office in Dohar and blocked the Dhaka-Dohar road. In Sylhet, protesters blocked the Sylhet-Companyganj highway, while an angry mob shut down a 33 KV automatic circuit recloser outside the Companyganj power substation on Saturday night. The Rural Electrification Board later lodged a written complaint with police. In Rajshahi's Bagmara, residents stopped a rural electricity awareness vehicle sent to explain the reasons behind the load-shedding.
Consumers under the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board said many areas have been experiencing power cuts lasting more than five to six hours daily. The highest load-shedding in the past two weeks reached 3,431 megawatts at 2 am on Saturday. On Sunday evening, PGCB recorded a power deficit of 1,983 megawatts against a demand of 17,146 megawatts. BPDB Chairman Engineer Md Rezaul Karim said a sudden rise in temperature had sharply increased electricity demand. He said peak demand has exceeded 18,000 megawatts this year, compared with 15,500 megawatts during the same period last year. He added that the shutdown of one unit at Rampal, reduced production at Banshkhali, lower gas supply and heavy overnight electricity consumption from battery-operated rickshaw charging and World Cup viewership had further widened the supply gap. Addressing Parliament on Sunday under Rule 300, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud said power generation had dropped by nearly 3,000 megawatts after a major power plant was shut down because of a boiler tube leak and coal unloading at another coal-fired plant was disrupted by adverse weather in the Bay of Bengal. Describing the situation as a national crisis, he urged lawmakers and the public to remain patient.
