Power crisis deepens in Chattogram as plants shut down

The power and fuel crisis has worsened in greater Chattogram, with six of the region’s 28 power plants shut down and seven more at risk of closure due to fuel shortages.

Power generation at several plants has fallen to around one-third of capacity, causing frequent load-shedding across the city and rural areas. Residents in some areas are facing 8�"10 hours of outages a day, disrupting water supply and industrial production.

According to the Power Development Board (PDB), there is officially no power shortage in Chattogram, with supply matching demand during both peak and off-peak hours. However, the actual situation is different, with residents reporting prolonged outages. The reported load-shedding is over 200MW despite the PDB showing zero on paper.

The affected areas include Patharghata, Askar Dighi Par, Halishahar, Kalurghat and Bayezid Bostami. Production at some industrial units has reportedly fallen by up to 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) has remained shut since March 4 due to a gas shortage. The plant requires around 45 million cubic feet of gas per day to operate.

CUFL Deputy General Manager (Administration) Samiran Marma said the factory is expected to receive gas supply by the end of this month.

The prolonged shutdown has caused financial losses for CUFL and created uncertainty for more than 1,000 workers and employees.

SKS