The Power Division has prioritised the energy sector as a key focus area as it moves to meet the country’s rising electricity demand in summer amid growing global uncertainties.
The country currently has a total installed power generation capacity of 32,332 MW, including 28,919 MW from grid-based sources, while daily demand stands at around 14,500-15,000 MW, according to an official document.
However, as the sweltering heat of summer approaches, the stability of the national grid faces a complex set of challenges.
Despite having sufficient capacity to meet existing demand, the national grid is expected to come under pressure during the peak summer months, when consumption surges and localised outages become more frequent.
These disruptions are largely driven by maintenance requirements, storm damage, and infrastructure limitations in the transmission and distribution networks.
A significant hurdle remains the supply of primary fuel. The global energy market has become increasingly volatile due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has complicated the procurement and pricing of energy resources.
This international instability trickles down to the local level, making it difficult at times to sustain full supply during the highest consumption hours.
In response, the Power Division is implementing a 180-day action plan aligned with the government's election manifesto.
This strategy includes diversifying energy sources with a heavy emphasis on renewable energy and coordinating infrastructure development with new generation projects.
Beyond technical solutions, the government is focusing on-demand side management. Efforts include holiday staggering for industries and public awareness campaigns through leaflets and videos to encourage energy conservation.
By combining short, medium, and long-term planning with intensive project supervision, the Power Division aims to navigate the current global energy crisis while ensuring that the lights stay on for citizens throughout the rising summer temperatures.
According to the official document, the government has taken steps to increase power generation in line with the increase in power demand.
These included taking the power sector as the highest priority sector, diversifying energy sources for power generation, ensuring primary energy supply for power generation and formulating a 180-day action plan in light of the government's election manifesto.
It has also taken steps for formulating and implementing short, medium and long-term plans for power generation, construction/development of transmission and distribution infrastructure in coordination with power generation, campaigning (leaflets, videos) to increase consumer awareness on energy conservation, holiday staggering and demand side and supply side management, etc, and giving importance to power generation from renewable energy.
The Power Division has also taken steps for ensuring necessary financing for the power sector in the annual development programme and timely implementation of power projects through intensive supervision and quickly identifying and resolving problems in project implementation.