Power and energy minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Sunday faced a barrage of questions from lawmakers over the ongoing loadshedding across the country on the opening day of the second session of the Jatiya Sangsad.
At least 20 lawmakers asked the minister about the government plan to ensure an uninterrupted power supply and eliminate loadshedding, which was severely hampering economic activities and people’s daily life.
Responding to the questions, the power minister told the JS that Bangladesh was currently meeting its electricity demand without any overall shortage, although temporary disruptions could occur during the peak summer and irrigation seasons due to fuel constraints, transmission limitations, and adverse weather conditions.
Responding to a question from Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmaker Abul Kalam for Cumilla-9, the minister said that the country’s peak electricity demand during the summer and irrigation periods reaches around 18,000 megawatts.
While the current generation capacity is sufficient, he acknowledged that occasional interruptions occurred during peak hours due to limitations in primary fuel supply, transmission and distribution infrastructure, maintenance activities, and storms.
‘In such cases, supply quality cannot always be maintained according to demand,’ he said.
During the question-answer session, Jessore-4 lawmaker Mohammad Golam Rasul raised concerns over loadshedding in rural areas lasting for five to seven hours, as well as power shortages in the Nowapara industrial zone.
In response, the minister said that Bangladesh was not currently facing any electricity deficit, arguing that disruptions caused by storms, falling trees or transmission faults should not be classified as load-shedding.
‘Load-shedding means a shortage of electricity. There is no electricity shortage in Bangladesh at present,’ he said.
Responding to a query from women reserved seat lawmaker Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, the minister said that the country’s grid-based power generation capacity stood at 28,919 megawatts.
The minister said that 100 per cent of the population has already been brought under electricity coverage, and the government was working to ensure uninterrupted and quality electricity supply for all by 2030.
Responding to another question the minister said rising temperatures have significantly increased electricity demand, but the government had taken advance planning measures to manage the situation.
He said that production planning had been aligned with the projected demand for 2026, alongside coordinated efforts to ensure adequate fuel supply, including gas, coal and liquid fuels.
Replying to BNP lawmaker Khairul Kabir Khokon, the minister said that private investors were allowed to set up renewable energy power plants and either using existing distribution infrastructure or selling electricity directly to large or bulk consumers.
