At least 130 million people in Bangladesh were without power as of Tuesday afternoon following a grid failure that led to a blackout, the government power company said.
The grid went down at 2 p.m. (10:00 a.m. Swiss time) and, except for parts of northwestern Bangladesh, “the rest of the country is without power,” the spokesman said. Energy Development Council, stating that more than two out of three inhabitants were without electricity.
According to the spokesperson, the origin of this network failure is not yet known. “The investigation is still ongoing,” he said, adding that a technical failure could be the cause.
According to a message from Zunaid Palak, Minister of Technology, posted on Facebook, electricity supply will be restored at 8 p.m. local time in Dhaka, the capital, which has a population of 22 million.
Serious energy crisis
Bangladesh has been suffering for several months from a serious energy crisis due to the rise in world prices of fuel and gas, following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Struggling to finance the import of diesel and gas in sufficient quantity to meet the demand for electricity, Dhaka had to introduce “austerity measures”.
Back to a validated system, the candle, to light up after the power cut that affected almost all of Bangladesh. [Mahmud Hossain Opu – Keystone]
The country’s diesel power plants producing electricity, with a generating capacity of 1,500 megawatts, and some gas-fired power plants have been shut down. Tens of thousands of mosques across the country have been ordered to only run air conditioners during the five daily prayers.
The shortages have been compounded by the depreciation of the local currency, the taka – by around 20% against the dollar, economists say – and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
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Fed up with the population
The anger of the population intensified following numerous and long power cuts. At least three protesters were killed by security forces during large rallies in Dhaka against the rising cost of living.
A hundred people were injured during a demonstration violently repressed by the police, according to the opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Consumer price inflation has also hit household budgets hard, and the government has recently pledged to cap the price of several staple foods, including rice, to assuage public discontent.
Bangladesh had already experienced a major power outage in November 2014. About 70% of the country was then without electricity for almost ten hours.
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