A heatwave is sweeping across 24 districts of the country, including the Rajshahi and Khulna divisions, as well as the capital Dhaka. Over the past few days, rising temperatures have pushed up electricity demand. However, due to fuel shortages, power generation is failing to meet demand, increasing the deficit and leading to more load-shedding.

According to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), the highest load-shedding on Tuesday reached 2,168 megawatts at midnight, while daytime load-shedding peaked at 2,000 megawatts. On Wednesday, daytime load-shedding rose further to around 2,500 megawatts and could increase more at night.

However, these figures differ from those of distribution agencies. The country’s largest distributor, the Rural Electrification Board (REB), reported 3,350 megawatts of load-shedding at 12 noon yesterday, Wednesday, compared to PGCB’s figure of 2,493 megawatts at the same time. Earlier, at 11:00 am, REB reported 3,195 megawatts of load-shedding.

Speaking aboutthis, PGCB Managing Director Abdur Rashid Khan told Prothom Alo that demand calculations are handled by BPDB and distribution agencies, and only they can determine actual demand. PGCB transmits electricity from power plants to them. With reduced generation, the deficit is increasing.