A transient fault in the grid connection between Meghnaghat and Haripur power stations disrupted electricity supply to parts of Dhaka and Chattogram on Tuesday, leaving areas including Banani, Moghbazar, Banasree, Khilgaon, the Secretariat and Bangladesh Bank without power.
Power supply was disrupted at 12:43pm, according to Power Grid Bangladesh PLC. The company’s restoration work was completed at 2:30pm, with all grid lines and substations back in operation.
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Chairman Engineer Rezaul Karim told Just Energy News that the fault affected parts of Dhaka and Chattogram.
“Our team is working to restore full supply,” he said earlier, adding that the cause of the fault would be investigated after the system was fully restored.
The grid operator said the disruption affected several areas in eastern Dhaka, including Bhulta, Haripur, Siddhirganj, Gulshan, Rampura, Ullon and Motijheel, as well as parts of Chattogram.
Following the restoration of the grid, power plants are being brought back online in phases. Sporadic load-shedding is expected to ease as electricity generation increases, Power Grid Bangladesh said, apologising for the temporary inconvenience caused to consumers.
According to BPDB data, electricity demand stood at 14,601 megawatts at 11am on Tuesday, against generation of 14,303MW, leaving a shortfall of 298MW. However, there was no immediate indication that the generation shortfall was linked to the grid fault.
Bangladesh has experienced major grid failures in the past. On October 4, 2022, a disruption in the eastern grid left large parts of the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh, without electricity. Supply was gradually restored across affected areas within three to eight hours.
Earlier, a nationwide grid failure on November 1, 2014, disrupted electricity supply for nearly 12 hours.