Energy Adviser Dr Faozul Kabir Khan has stated that there is no expectation of load shedding in the near future.
However, should it become unavoidable, he has personally instructed that it commence from his own residence, ensuring no preferential treatment.
He emphasised that electricity distribution would be equitable, with both urban and rural areas receiving the same consideration.
The adviser made these remarks on Friday (21 February) while inspecting the 68 MW solar power project in Sirajganj as part of his visit to the region.
Addressing concerns over past disparities, he acknowledged that rural areas had previously endured greater power outages than the capital.
This time, however, any necessary load shedding would be uniformly distributed nationwide.
Explaining the seasonal variations in electricity demand, he noted that while winter consumption remains between 9,000 and 10,000 MW, the summer demand escalates to 17,000–18,000 MW, largely due to increased irrigation and cooling loads from air conditioners and fans.
While irrigation requirements cannot be reduced, he suggested that regulating air conditioning usage could significantly ease the strain on the grid.
The government has thus issued a directive to maintain air conditioners at 25°C, a practice followed in Malaysia as well, which could potentially lower demand by 2,000–3,000 MW.
Anticipating questions regarding enforcement, he explained that electricity consumption is monitored through feeders, and any significant surge in usage would indicate wastage. In such cases, those specific feeders would face load shedding first.
To reinforce compliance, the government has sought the assistance of the Islamic Foundation through the religious affairs adviser and has also issued directives to various ministries.
The adviser remains optimistic that load shedding will not be necessary, provided there are no sudden power plant shutdowns and the public cooperates in optimising usage.
With the irrigation season nearing its end, he assured that electricity supply would soon stabilise.
According to Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, at 7pm on 20 February, the country’s peak electricity demand stood at 11,769 MW.
At that time, only Mymensingh zone experienced 92 MW of load shedding, while no other regions faced outages.
On the same day, operations at nine gas-based and nine oil-based power plants were disrupted due to fuel shortages.
Additionally, from India’s Adani power supply, only one unit was operational, supplying 754 MW, while Tripura provided 60 MW out of 160 MW, and the Baharampur interconnection delivered 924 MW out of the contracted 1,000 MW.
