Bangladesh’s Current Power Generation:

There are in total 111 power plants in Bangladesh. Our total installed electricity generation
capacity (including captive power) has increased to 15,821 MW as of January 2017 and
according to this, per capita power generation has reached 433 KWh. About 80% of the total
population are currently connected to the electricity grid.[1]

[2]

Present Scenerio of Demand:

It is true that the generation of electricity has increased over the decades. But it is still unable to
meet the more rapidly rising public demand. We have to face power-cuts for about six to eight
hours (or more than this in some areas) during the Summer. It is projected that the demand for
electricity will reach 34,000 MW by 2030[3]. The following chart shows the gap between demand
and supply of electricity for past few years:
Sources for Current Power Generation:

[1]

Natural gas:
Power generation in most of the power plants of our country is natural gas based as Bangladesh
is rich in natural gas. About 62% of the total power is generated from gas. But in recent years
there is no significant gas discovery. It is no longer possible to feed further Gas fired power
plants with the available gas .This shortage of gas supply is discouraging gas based power supply
and necessitates the implementation of big power plants to be run on coal or renewable sources
of energy, nuclear energy etc.[1].
Oil:
Government has recently taken initiatives to set up 20 oil based small scaled power plants of 100
MW each[6]. However, oil based power plants are very expensive. It can only be a short term
solution to deal with load-shedding.
Coal:
Coal is another alternative for generation of power. It has relatively low volatility compared to
oil and natural gas. Also, international price of coal is relatively more stable. However, coal
based power plants are highly debated since they might be harmful for environment. Government
has planned to produce 7500 MW from coal based power plant by 2021.[4]

Nuclear energy:
Nuclear energy based power plants can be regarded as as safe technology as it will not cause any
pollution. The construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant having capacity of 2.4 GW has
started. Hopefully, in 2023. It will go into operation.[3]

Renewable Energy Programs:

Considering the cost of power generation , shortage of natural gas and healthy environment ,it
has become an urge to focus on power generation from renewable energy sources.
Currently,447.51 MW electricity is generated from renewable energy sources, which is 2.87
percent of total power generation. By 2020, Government plans to produce 10% of total electricity
from renewable energy sources.[5]
References:
1.http://www.eblsecurities.com/AM_Resources/AM_ResearchReports/SectorReport/Bangladesh
%20Power%20Sector%20Overview-2017.pdf
2. http://www.powerdivision.gov.bd (19 September 2017)
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Bangladesh

4. https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1876610217302230/1-s2.0-S1876610217302230-main.pdf?_tid=b255cdf3-
078d-4b1d-b934-bdcbb36e65a7&acdnat=1530151007_62224c9a5847bbe503b0455e716ff2f5

5. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/prioritising-renewable-energy-generation-1509209947

6. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/power-energy/2017/12/27/power-generation-price