Seven large and small power plants across the country tripped (shut down) following the strong earthquake on Friday. One substation also went offline due to related disruptions.
According to officials from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), the impact on the national grid has been minimal because electricity demand was low at the time. However, they warned that it may take some time for the situation to return to normal.
BPDB reported that, as of 11:50 a.m., seven power plants and one grid substation had been shut down following the quake. Two BPDB officials confirmed that data from remaining power plants and grid stations was still being collected.
According to information provided by BPDB, the shutdowns include:
Summit Bibiyana’s 341 MW power plant,
BPDB’s 400 MW Bibiyana-3 plant,
Three units at Ashuganj producing 225 MW, 55 MW, and 50 MW respectively,
A 600 MW unit of SS Power, a private plant in Chattogram,
A 75 MW unit from the 225 MW Sirajganj power plant.
Additionally, at the Ghorashal grid substation, a fire caused the 230 kV, 132 kV, and 33 kV transmission lines to go offline.
BPDB sources said that by 11:50 a.m., multiple power plants had already shut down, with concerns that more might follow. Restarting these plants could take time, though officials believe there is little risk of load-shedding due to the currently low electricity demand.
Earlier on Friday morning, immediately after the strong tremor was felt, BPDB confirmed disruptions in the production and distribution of electricity at several locations. BPDB’s Public Relations Director Shamim Hasan told Bangladesh Pratidin that the earthquake caused temporary disturbances in power generation and supply systems. Efforts are underway to restore normal operations.