Bangladesh: National Power Grid Failure Leaves 140 Millions Without Electricity

Around 140 million people out of the Bangladesh's population of 160 million are without electricity at the moment after the failure of national power grid, according to reports.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 4 October 2022 1:31 pm

Electricity Power Grid

A national power grid failure in Bangladesh has left around 140 million people across the country without electricity since Tuesday afternoon.?

Bangladeshi media reported that electricity is expected to be restored in the affected areas by Tuesday night.?

The Bangladesh national power grid failed at 2:05 pm and caused nationwide blackout with the exception of parts of northern Bangladesh, reported Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

The paper cited officials and reported that the first failure was in the east, following which power stations in other parts of the country also tripped.

"The transmission line tripped somewhere in the eastern part of the country...Following the grid failure, all power plants tripped one after another and electricity supply went off in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Barisal, and Mymensingh divisions," reported The Tribune.

The federal government has said power would be restored by 9 pm.?

The exact cause of failure is not yet known, reported United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency.?

"Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) officials, however, said they could not identify the exact reason and locations of the fault that triggered the grid failure," reported UNB.?

The blackout comes amid rising power demand and shortage of gas in the country used to produce electricity. Around 75 per cent of Bangladesh's electricity is produced from gas, reported Reuters.

It further reported, "Over a third of the 77 gas-powered units in Bangladesh were facing a gas shortage, government data showed on Tuesday...Many parts of Bangladesh have been facing frequent power cuts this year despite efforts to ration gas supplies amid high global natural gas prices."