After about 5 hours of partial grid line failure, power supply was restored in west Dhaka, including Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi and Mirpur areas. “From our end, power transmission was restored at the 230 kV grid line at 10:38 am. But it takes some time to fully restore electricity supply to distribution line,” Badruddoza Sumon, public relation officer of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), told UNB. “We hope, gradually power supply will be restored in all areas,” he added. Shahnaz Begum, who lives on Babar Road in Mohammadpur, said that her home was without electricity as of 11 am. Also Read: Aminbazar-Agargaon grid line failure: No electricity in Mohammadpur, Mirpur areas The 230 kV grid line from Aminbazar-Agargaon failed at 5:50 am today (February 21, 2023) — leading to no electricity in the western part of Dhaka city, including the entire Mohammadpur and Mirpur areas. Officials from both PGCB and Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited  (DPDC) confirmed the development. “The grid transmission line tripped at 5:50 am,” PGCB official Sumon earlier said. Further explaining, he said due to dense fog, sometimes grid lines can break down. Read More: Committee to review existing deals on coal purchase for power generation This is not a technical fault of the system, he added. Aminbazar-Mohammadpur grid line is one of the main sources supplying electricity to some of Dhaka city’s important establishments, including the Prime Minister’s official residence and Dhaka cantonment. Power supply continued through alternative sources to those important establishments although regular consumers are without electricity.  Read More: TIB for reviewing Dhaka's power purchase deal with Adani Group

State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said two engineers of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) will be suspended over the national grid power failure that caused a nationwide blackout on October 4, 2022. “The decision will come into effect today,” he told reporters at the secretariat on Sunday after receiving the probe report on the incident. Read:Action against those behind national grid failure by Monday: Nasrul Hamid Action has been taken against an assistant engineer and a sub-assistant engineer of PGCB on charge of negligence of duty, said the state minister. “Action will be taken against others responsible for the power grid failure by this week after identifying them,” he said. Read:National grid failure: Power Division forms 7-member probe body On October 6, the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh formed a seven-member committee to identify the reasons behind the national grid power failure on October 4 that caused a seven-hour blackout across most of Bangladesh. The committee had three days to complete the investigation and submit its report.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday blamed the government’s overall ‘failure’ and theft in the power sector for Tuesday’s long power blackout in most areas of the country caused by a national grid failure. “We feel that this (national grid failure) happened due to a total failure of the government, and the problem relating to planning, structural and technical matters, and widespread theft in the power sector,” he said. Read: Power supply restored across Bangladesh after 7hrs The BNP leader also said the power sector is not alone facing such problems. “These are happening everywhere. I think the main reason behind it is taking various unplanned development projects by the government only for indulging in corruption." He made the remarks while talking to reporters at BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku’s Asad Gate residence in the city. Fakhrul along with another BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury went to Tuku’s house as he fell sick. Earlier on Tuesday, power supply across the country was disrupted for nearly seven hours, plunging most areas into a blackout following the failure of the national power grid. Fakhrul said the government used to brag about attaining self-sufficiency in electricity and having the capacity to produce more power than the country’s demand, but people are regularly facing power outages. “Yesterday's (Tuesday’s) case was unusual. There was no power in most parts of the country for about 8 hours. It’s like a total blackout," he observed. Read: Power blackout triggers chaos in Dhaka petrol pumps The BNP leader said the blackout has manifested that the ruling party leaders made huge money by taking various projects in the power sector, but failed to ensure real and sustainable development. “It (blackout) threw the country into a great disaster. As a result mobile network and internet, all factories and filling stations were shut down.” He said the current government is taking unplanned projects and plundering public money as there is no accountability anywhere. “There is not an elected parliament. Since this government has no accountability to  people, we’re facing many problems and disasters in every sector. This incident (national grid failure) is a proof of it. That’s why we are saying repeatedly that this government has become a burden on the country,” Fakhrul said. He said it will be difficult for the nation to survive if this government is not removed immediately. The BNP leader said the current regime must resign by handing over power to a non-party caretaker government for holding a credible national election and to establish a government of people. “There’s no other alternative left for us to get rid of the current situation of the country.”

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid sincerely expressed his regrets to the consumers for the “temporary inconvenience” created following the grid failure on Tuesday. In a statement, he also requested the power customers to be patient and said that engineers and technicians of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh and the Power Development Board (BPDB) and other related departments have been working tirelessly to restore power to its previous state. “Power supply will be completely normal soon. We will always remain by the consumer's side,” he added. The electricity supply was first restored in Ashuganj-Sirajganj 230 KV transmission line which gradually started restoring supply to Dhaka, Chattagram, Sylhet, Comilla, Mymensingh regions. The power generation reached 8,431 MW at 9:00pm and now the normalisation of power supply is in progress with highest caution. The system is gradually being normalised by commissioning large generation centres in the eastern part of the national grid which covers Ghorashal, Ashuganj, Meghnaghat, Haripur, and Siddhirganj power stations. Dhaka received 1750 MW at 9:40 pm against a demand for 2300 MW. Electricity supply restoration started in Dhaka at 5.15 pm. Read: Power supply restored across Bangladesh after 7hrs The statement mentioned there was an unexpected power outage at 2:04 pm in the eastern region of the national grid which covers Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Comilla, Mymensingh. The Power Division sincerely apologized for the unexpected power outage. At that time, power supply was normal in the northern region that covers Rajshahi, and Rangpur division and southern region which covers Khulna and Barisal divisions. A 6-member committee has been formed, headed by PGCB Executive Director (P&D) Yakub Elahi Chowdhury to find out the causes behind the grid failure, said the statement, adding  two more committees will be formed by the Power Division.

The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) has formed a 5-member inquiry committee to investigate the reason behind the grid failure on Tuesday that triggered a countrywide blackout for hours. Yakub Elahi Chowdhury, executive director of the organization, will lead the investigation, said its public relations officer Badruddoza Sumon. Read: Power supply restored in some parts of Dhaka city National power transmission grid failed at 2:05 pm – causing blackouts across Bangladesh, except some parts of the north. Power supply was restored in some parts of Dhaka city under Maniknagar and Hasnabad grid substations and also a good number of districts under Sylhet, Chattagram and Mymensingh by 7 pm. According to officials of the PGCB, it could take two more hours to get electricity supply restored  in all the areas of Dhaka and Narayanganj cities, along with the remaining other districts. “We hope normalcy in power supply will be fully back by 10 pm,” Sumon told UNB. Read: Power blackout triggers chaos in Dhaka petrol pumps He said the districts where power supply was fully restored by 7 pm include Tangail, Kishorganj, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Manikganj, and all districts in Chattagram and Sylhet divisions. Earlier, after the national power grid failure earlier today, power supply was restored in some Dhaka areas, including president and prime minister’s official residences, around 5pm. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid had hoped that power supply may fully be restored by 7 pm.