Bangladesh outdoor power supply modification

ems.Section 2.Introduction Bangladesh's electricity supply is dominated by gas-fired power plants, historically fueled by the c untry's domestic gas fields. As of the end of 2022, the country has a generation capacity of 23.2GW, 50% of which comes from gas-fired power plants, followed by oil-fired power plants (33%) and

The power sector of Bangladesh is in the grip of an aggressive, fossil-fuel-based capacity expansion trend. The situation highlights several challenges, such as power system overcapacity, capacity payments, revenue shortfalls and subsidy burden. However, a suitable action plan will help steer the power sector towards sustainability.

The installed power generation capacity of Bangladesh is 28,166 megawatts (MW) against the maximum demand of 17,200MW, recorded by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) in 2024. This shows that the power sector has a surplus generation capacity of 38.9%. The surplus capacity rises to even more than 60% during winter.

Urban areas with large industrial loads were prioritized for power supply, leaving rural areas with a disproportionate share of power cuts. The dispersed nature of rural settlements and the numerous rivers that crisscross the country make grid electrification in many areas of Bangladesh both difficult and expensive.

pport utility-scale renewablesLand acquisition is the most commonly cited challenge for power plant development in Bangladesh due to the count y's high population density. Bangladesh also caps land ownership at 100 bigha (approximately 13.4 hectares) with a sub-cap of 60 bigha o

This capacity will be more than enough to meet the country's power demand in 2030. Therefore, Bangladesh can stop adding fossil fuel-based power capacity beyond under-construction projects. The existing renewable energy tariff in Bangladesh is half the cost of electricity generated by oil-fired power plants.