No respite from power crisis this year
Scorching heat and irrigation pressure have pushed the "official" power demand up to 5,050megawatt (MW) while failure of some rental power projects to launch operations deepened the ongoing power crisis.
The official power demand would hit 5,300-5,400MW in June-July, said sources in the Power Development Board (PDB). The unofficial demand, which is already 6,000MW, would hit 6,300-6,400MW.
"This would mean that the present official load-shedding of 1,200MW to 1,500MW would shoot up to 1,500MW to 1,800MW. The unofficial load-shedding would be more than 2,200MW," said a source.
The four-month old Awami League government is still studying the energy sector to find the best solutions, a top source of the energy ministry said.
"Nothing is what it seemed before. We are running short of gas and we can not pursue large power projects like Sirajganj or Meghnaghat-2 and -3 without ensuring primary source of energy," the source said.
This scenario is worsened by the failure of four rental power projects, with 155MW capacity, to come into operation by February. These projects were originally supposed to come into operation last year. Their failure upset the government's target of adding 742MW power to the total output by June.
With persistent gas crisis, which keep affecting 550MW to 700MW power generation, the only way some respite can be offered to the country is to introduce Daylight Savings system from June.
"We are trying to scientifically map the peak hours," says Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, adviser to the prime minister on energy ministry, adding, "We see that load-shedding often takes place much ahead of the peak hours."
He added that the calculation is yet to be done on how much power could be saved by the one extra hour of day light saving. But it would surely be beneficial and would cut cost in other sectors, imposing a lifestyle change. "But the benefits outweigh the disturbances," he said.
The energy ministry sought opinions of 18 other ministries earlier this month on this matter. "Most of the feedback is positive," Chowdhury noted.
A PDB official said, "I don't see why we have to think so much about introducing this system. Many countries around the world--including Sri Lanka--have daylight savings system. If there was no benefit in it, none would have followed it year after year."
He added that introduction of daylight saving system would at least cut 250MW of demand.
"The power situation in the capital would improve a bit from May when irrigation ends and expected rainfall cools down demand to some degree. But it would increase from June and we need to do something to deal with that," he pointed out.
Between 2007 and 2008, the caretaker government finished different power projects totalling 422MW capacity. It left with 16 small, medium and large power plant projects, totalling 742MW, scheduled to come into operation from June.
But now it seems that of this 742MW the PDB would only get around 300MW. The Siddhirganj 105MW unit-1, which is supposed to run during peak hours, would come into operation in May and its unit-2 with another 105MW capacity in June. A 50MW Sikalbaha plant would also begin operation in June.
Sources said the present gas crisis would not affect gas supplies to these new plants.
Meanwhile, power crisis deepened further as generation dropped by around 230MW following trip of three units at Ashuganj Power Plant yesterday.
Of the three, two units tripped due to technical glitches and the other was shut down for overhaul.
Power plant sources said the production at Unit 5, whose generation capacity is 150MW, was suspended for overhauling at around 4am. An hour later, two more units stopped working due to technical fault.
The unit 5 will take at least seven days to get back into operation.
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