Gas crisis affects Ctg city power supply

The time of power outages has almost doubled in Chittagong city over the last one week, as three units of two electricity plants went out of operation for want of gas.

As the city is recording high temperatures as elsewhere in the country, frequent power cuts adding up to seven to eight hours a day increased people's sufferings.

Factories also brace for huge costs required to continue production with diesel-run generators.

According to the officials of the Power Development Board (PDB), two units of Shikalbaha Peaking Power Plant with the daily capacity of 210MW and one unit of Raozan Thermal Power Plant with the capacity to produce 120MW daily have been shut for one week.

In addition, the other unit of Raozan plant producing 160MW a day is not operating at full capacity, said officials.

Situations are worse in Bakalia, Kala Miah Bazar, Chawk Bazar, DC Road, Dewan Bazar and Kapasgola areas, said residents.

A week ago, load-shedding lasted for four hours at most, they said.

"Once a power cut occurs, supply is not restored until one to one-and-half-an-hour later," said Shahab Uddin of Bakalia Rahattar pool area.

Azizul Haque, deputy general manager (distribution), Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd (KGDCL), said gas supply from the national grid to Chittagong fell by 40 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), so it was affecting the power plants.

Usually Chittagong city gets 270mmcfd but it was dropped to 230mmcfd now, he said.

Moreover, Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (Kafco) started production last week, taking a 44-55mmcfd from the total 100mmcfd reserved for the fertiliser factories and power plants of Chittagong, he said.

According to officials, despite the halt of production at three power production units, the total production in Chittagong is still higher than the total demand of Chittagong.

The demand was 776MW in Chittagong city on Wednesday but the plants produced 807MW, said Mohammad Moniruzzaman, senior assistant director of PDB.

Referring to the situation, businessmen demanded that the government supply more electricity to Chittagong city from the national grid.

AM Mahbub Chowdhury, senior vice-president of the Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CMCCI), said owners were compelled to operate factories with costly generators.

Each unit of electricity from generators costs Tk 22.5, while it is Tk 7 for every unit of the PDB supply, he said.

"So it is very tough for the owners to operate factories by generators eight hours a day," he said. "Many factories are compelled to shut  their production during load-shedding."

Mahbub said Chittagong currently got 12 percent of electricity of the country's total production while Dhaka got 40 percent.