Bangladesh Is Running Out of Power and Also Patience

We find it deeply troubling that in after half way through in 2026, keeping the lights on has once again become a daily struggle for millions of Bangladeshis. This is no longer routine load-shedding. It is an energy crisis that is exposing the fragility of our power system and the price ordinary citizens are being forced to pay for it.

The numbers, however, are alarming. The national power shortfall surged from just 335MW on 6 August to around 3,200MW on 9 August, while power sector insiders have reportedly said the actual deficit has at times exceeded 4,000MW. In some parts of the country, people are reportedly without electricity for 12 to 16 hours a day. 

The immediate causes are clear enough. The fire at the Maheshkhali LNG terminal has reduced gas supplies, while the damaged terminal has yet to return fully operational. Gas-fired power plants are consequently generating far below their previous levels. At the same time, one unit of the Payra coal-fired plant remains out of operation, while electricity imports from India have taken a nose-dive.

The burning question we feel asking: Why does one disruption have the capacity to bring so much of the national electricity system under such severe pressure? And this is the uncomfortable question our policymakers must confront with.

We have spent years expanding generation capacity, yet fuel insecurity, technical failures, transmission constraints and dependence on imported energy continue to leave us vulnerable. Capacity on paper means little if power plants cannot obtain the gas, coal or other fuel required to generate electricity when consumers need it.

Meanwhile, the consequences are becoming painfully real. Farmers cannot irrigate. Poultry farms are losing chickens in extreme heat. Fish traders cannot produce enough ice. Small industries are being forced to halt production. Hospitals and clinics are struggling. Students cannot study. Businesses lose working hours. And households are left sweating through long, unpredictable nights.

The point, however, if load-shedding is unavoidable then our consumers deserve a transparent and credible schedule. Unscheduled outages occurring several times an hour are not merely inconvenient; they make it almost impossible for households and businesses to plan their lives.

The government must therefore treat this as an emergency requiring both immediate action and structural reform. Gas supply must be restored as quickly as possible, stalled generation capacity brought back online, and electricity imports stabilised. But beyond crisis management, we need a serious national energy strategy that reduces our vulnerability to a single terminal, a single fuel source or a single external supplier. The country’s economic ambitions cannot be powered by uncertainty. We need electricity that is reliable, predictable and affordable�"not merely available on paper.

The lights may eventually come back on. But unless we fix the weaknesses that caused this crisis, the next blackout will only be a matter of time.