The prime minister’s adviser for power, energy and mineral resources Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury on Thursday said that the current power cuts would continue until September.

The situation will improve after 1,320 megawatts of electricity from the Rampal coal-fired power plant and 700 megawatts from the second unit of the Payra thermal power plant becomes available by then, he said at a briefing at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Besides, some 1,200 MW power is expected to be imported from India in the next two and a half months, he disclosed after a review meeting on the country’s overall energy and power situation.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division in a circular on the day imposed a ban for an indefinite period on the illumination at all sorts of events at homes, community centres, shopping malls and both government and private-sector offices as part of the government austerity in the use of power.

Convened against the backdrop of 1,400MW power cuts against the demand for 12,948 MW across the country on Tuesday, the meeting was attended by, among others, Energy and Mineral Resources Division secretary Md Mahbub Hossain and Power Division secretary Md Habibur Rahman.

On Thursday, the Bangladesh Power Development Board calculated 450MW load-shedding amid the production of 12,528 MW against the demand for 12,978 MW.

It has been reported that a supply shortage of imported liquefied natural gas because of its price hike on the international market is the key reason for the random power cuts.

At least 24 power plants among the 152 in operation have been facing gas shortage as the supply of gas has dropped to 900 mmcfd against the demand for about 1,600 mmcfd.

Gas accounts for about 60 per cent of the country’s power output.

Replying to the question that if the country is too much dependent on imported gas instead of extracting gas from domestic wells, he said that such views were not correct.

He hastened to add that the government was trying to increase gas production  from local sources.

He said that the domestic production of gas was 1,800 mmcfd in 2009 when the present government assumed power.

The production has, meanwhile, increased by 1,644 mmcfd, he further said.

Answering another question regarding the prior announcement for area-specific load-shedding, the energy adviser said that it was a difficult task to accomplish.      

He went on to say that an app would be readied by next one week by the Dhaka Power Distribution Company when its staff could work out the duration of load-shedding for specific areas.

He also said that several recommendations were reviewed at the meeting to save power by about 1,500 MW and keep the loading-shedding within 500 MW in the next few months.

The public office hours may be reduced while doing office duty at home may also be introduced like during the Covid period, he said.

He suggested that the use of air conditions should also be reduced.

The recommendations would be placed to the PM, Tawfiq said.