M Azizur Rahman

The country's gas supply crunch is badly affecting power generation as at least three power plants have been shut down at a time when the demand for electricity soars for irrigation, energy ministry officials said.

"The electricity generation has dropped by at least 500 megawatts (MW) because three of our plants have now remained closed due to scarcity of gas," power division secretary M Fouzul Kabir Khan told the FE Thursday.

He said electricity generation by Rauzan, Shikalbaha and Rural Power Company Ltd (RPCL) plants are being hampered due to gas supply problem.

Currently, the country's daily average production of gas is around 1730 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) leaving around 100 mmcfd in supply shortfall.

"The country's total electricity generation is now hovering at around 3,500 MW," Khan said adding: "The cut in power generation because of gas crisis has become a regular phenomenon, especially during this period every year."

But during this irrigation season, the electricity demand increases by around 1,000 MW due to the rise in the number of irrigation pumps.

Some 250,000 electricity-run irrigation pumps will be put in operation during this irrigation season, which is 11 per cent more compared to that of the previous year, power division secretary said.

Whereas, the electricity generation has remained almost steady at previous year's level as no significant improvement has been made to augment power production.

The situation will likely to take a turn to worse after state-run Petrobangla has expressed its inability to provide natural gas to at least six gas-fired power plants that are scheduled for installation.

The power plants include 210 MW Shiddhirganj Thermal Power Plant, 225 MW Shikalbaha combined cycle (CC) power, 150 MW Sylhet CC power plant, 225 MW Ghorasal CC Plant, 450 MW Ashuganj CC Plant and the 450 MW Meghnaghat Phase-III CC plant.

The power division is to install the power plants as part of its medium-term plan of the Power System Master Plan (PSMP) to ensure electricity for all by 2020.

Besides, the Petrobangla has already informed the power division of its inability to provide natural gas to any of the new power plants that are planned beyond 2011 as the country's proven gas reserve of 8.39 TCF is set to exhaust by the next three years.

If proven and probable reserves of around 14.4 TCF are taken together, the country's gas stock will be emptied by 2015, the energy ministry officials said.

Currently, around 90 per cent of the country's power plants are run by gas.