State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid has tried to reassure people suffering under the weight of the power crisis nationwide that every effort is being expended on a return to normalcy.
The state minister, now 8 years in his post, was speaking after inaugurating the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory and Training Center under the Department of Electronic and Electronics Engineering at Daffodil International University.
The event was held at DIU's permanent campus site in Birulia Union of Savar on Saturday afternoon.
He also disclosed that power generation from the Payra power plant has shut down due to the ongoing coal crisis.
Read: Frequent power cuts amid heat wave multiplies people’s woes
Loadshedding has increased alarmingly due to the shutdown of several power plants. The national grid is witnessing more than 1500 MW of loadshedding daily, said the state minister.
BPDB official figures reveal the country experienced a shortfall of 2,353 MW to serve a demand of 14,000 MW in the daytime as BPDB was able to generate a high of 11,647 MW across the country.
According to sources at the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the country experienced over 2,500 MW of loadshedding at noon on Saturday - which is rare for a weekend when there is relatively lower demand from the consumers' end.
Nahim Razzaq, a lawmaker from Shariatpur-3 constituency, Daffodil International University Board of Trustee Chairman Dr. Sabur Khan and many others were present on the occasion.