Electricity supply from the coal-based Adani Group power plant in Godda, Jharkhand, India, has come to a complete halt due to technical faults in both of its 800-megawatt units, raising concerns over potential power shortages in Bangladesh.
The first unit of the plant ceased operations on 8 April, while the second unit went offline early Friday morning around 1:00am.
According to officials from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) and the Power Development Board (PDB), the sudden shutdown has disrupted a key source of power to the national grid, leading to fears of increased load shedding starting Sunday if supply is not restored promptly.
The Adani plant had been supplying up to 1,400 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh, and even after the initial fault on 8 April, around 750 megawatts were still being transmitted until the complete stoppage. Authorities are hopeful that one of the units will be back online by Saturday evening.
In response to the looming shortfall, the PDB has sought additional gas from Petrobangla and ramped up output from oil-fired power plants to help stabilize supply. On Saturday—being a weekend—demand was slightly lower, peaking at 13,500 megawatts. Still, 300 megawatts of load shedding was reported during peak hours.
Md Zahurul Islam, PDB's Member (Generation), said Adani engineers are working to fix the technical issues and restart the plant. He emphasized that if sufficient fuel is secured, domestic production can help meet current demand.
The Adani power plant, with a total capacity of 1,600 megawatts, began commercial operations in phases last year—Unit 1 in April and Unit 2 in June. Bangladesh entered a 25-year power purchase agreement with Adani in 2017. However, the deal has faced scrutiny over coal pricing and pending dues, leading to supply disruptions in the past. A government-formed interim committee is currently reviewing the agreement's terms.
As of now, efforts are underway to resume partial production from the plant and ensure continued electricity supply across Bangladesh.
