One unit of the 1,400-megawatt Adani Power plant supplying electricity to Bangladesh will shut down on Thursday (15 January), prompting the authorities to increase generation from oil-fired power stations as a temporary alternative ahead of Boro Paddy irrigation, officials said.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) said Unit-1 of the Adani-operated plant has been taken offline for scheduled maintenance for a period of 25 days, from 15 January to 9 February.
During this period, electricity supply will be managed by ramping up production from liquid fuel-based power plants.
BPDB officials acknowledged that electricity generation costs would rise as oil-fired plants are significantly more expensive to operate than coal-based units. “Production costs will increase from Tk 14 to Tk 40, if more diesel-based power plants are used in greater Rangpur due to shut down of the unit,” a senior BPDB official said.
The shutdown is part of an annual maintenance programme for the 700-megawatt unit. The second unit of the Adani plant will remain operational during the maintenance period, according to BPDB.
Officials said the timing of the maintenance was adjusted to avoid the peak summer season, when electricity demand typically surges. Load-shedding is unlikely during the winter months, when demand remains relatively low, they added.
However, BPDB warned that electricity demand could rise sharply in the coming months due to irrigation needs for the Boro rice cultivation season, as well as the approach of Ramadan and summer.
Demand is expected to increase by up to 11,000 megawatts, and could exceed 15,000 megawatts next month, officials said.
To meet the anticipated demand, BPDB plans to bring additional generation capacity online, including oil-based plants, despite the higher cost.