United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is currently able to supply only about 2,700 million cubic feet (mmcf) of natural gas a day against a daily demand of around 3,800 mmcf, leaving even the capital with a significant supply shortfall, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood said. Replying to a question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP Mohammed Kamal Hossain (Dhaka-5) in Parliament, he said the country is facing a daily gas deficit of about 1,100 mmcf, resulting in disruptions to gas distribution in different parts of Dhaka and elsewhere. "As Dhaka is also receiving significantly less gas than its actual requirement, gas distribution has been affected to some extent in all areas," the minister said. He also informed the House that power transmission and distribution losses have declined over the past year. Responding to a question from Jamaat MP Md Golam Rasul (Jashore-4), Iqbal Hassan said transmission system loss stood at 3.04 percent and distribution loss at 7.38 percent in the 2024-25 fiscal year. During the first 10 months of the 2025-26 fiscal year, up to April, transmission loss fell to 3.27 percent while distribution loss declined to 6.29 percent, he added. On fuel prices, the minister said the recent easing of international oil prices following the cessation of war has not yet brought prices below the break-even level. Answering a question from Jamaat MP Md Mahbubur Rahman Belal (Rangpur-3), he said the state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is still incurring losses of around Tk 78 crore per day from the sale of diesel, octane and petrol. Iqbal Hassan said BPC incurred cumulative losses of Tk 18,699.31 crore between March and June 23. He said the government could consider reducing domestic fuel prices to provide relief for consumers once international oil prices decline further to a sustainable level. On the review of power purchase agreements signed under the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provisions) Act, 2010, the minister said two separate committees formed to examine the contracts have already submitted their reports. Replying to a question from reserved seat Jamaat MP Subikunnahar, he said the government was taking necessary follow-up actions based on the recommendations made by the committees. Iqbal Hassan also told Parliament that no quick rental power plants are currently in operation in the country, and no contracts with such plants remain in force. In response to a question from BNP lawmaker Md Mustafizur Rahman Babul (Jamalpur-3), he said two rental power plants had their contracts renewed after expiry on a "no electricity, no payment" basis, and those arrangements remain in effect. "As there are no operational quick rental power plants, no capacity charge is currently being paid," the minister added.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Sunday said two power plants have been forced to shut down due to technical and operational problems, causing around 3,000 megawatts of electricity to go offline and making load-shedding unavoidable in different parts of the country, including Dhaka. Making a statement in Parliament under Rule 300, the minister described the situation as a "national crisis" and urged all to remain united in overcoming it. "Let us all work together in a united manner to overcome this crisis. I hope the situation will improve within the next two days. Once conditions improve, the severity of load-shedding will decrease," he said. The minister, however, did not disclose the names of the two affected power plants. Explaining the reasons behind the shutdowns, Mahmud said one plant had to suspend electricity generation after a leak was detected in a boiler tube, requiring mandatory maintenance. The other plant remains out of operation because rough conditions in the Bay of Bengal have prevented the unloading of coal needed to run the facility. "As a result, nearly 3,000 megawatts of electricity have gone out of our transmission system," he told Parliament. The minister said he had discussed the matter with Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman before making the statement in the House, underscoring the seriousness of the situation. The unexpected loss of generation capacity has forced the government to impose load-shedding in various parts of the country, with Dhaka also expected to experience scheduled power cuts until normal generation resumes, he added.