A widespread power outage affected parts of Dhaka, Chattogram, and surrounding regions of Bangladesh on Tuesday afternoon, caused by a sudden drop of 5,370 megawatts (MW) in electricity generation. The disruption began at approximately 12:43 pm and led to significant declines in output from gas- and coal-fired power plants, according to data from Power Grid Bangladesh.

At noon, national power generation stood at around 14,719 MW but sharply fell to about 9,349 MW by 1 pm. Gas-fired plants experienced the most substantial decline, with output dropping nearly 60% from 4,382 MW to 1,734 MW. Coal-powered plants also saw a decrease of nearly 40%, falling from 4,863 MW to 2,947 MW during the same period. Additionally, oil-fired plants’ generation fell by 20%, from 2,746 MW to 2,174 MW. Meanwhile, electricity supplied by India’s Adani power plant increased slightly, and overall power imports remained steady at 941 MW.

Officials from Power Grid Bangladesh, the state-owned company responsible for the national grid, identified a technical fault at the Meghnaghat substation as the initial trigger of the disruption. As a precautionary step, some feeder lines near the Meghnaghat-Haripur transmission line were disconnected to prevent further grid instability. Power Grid established a five-member committee, led by Chief Engineer Syed Ebadullah Haider Ali, to investigate the cause of the outage, with a directive to submit findings within five working days.

Power supply was said to have largely normalized in Sylhet and adjacent areas, while restoration efforts continued across Dhaka and other affected regions throughout the afternoon. By 2:30 pm, Power Grid announced that restoration work had been completed, with all transmission lines and substations returned to service. Several power plants were brought back online gradually, allowing incremental increases in generation and easing local load-shedding.

Md Zahurul Islam, a member of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), indicated that while plants were returning to full operation, the exact technical cause of the failure had not yet been conclusively determined and remained under investigation. Officials emphasized that a detailed diagnostic report analyzing relay fault data was being prepared to establish the root cause.

The Power Division issued a statement attributing the disruption to a mechanical fault and apologizing for the inconvenience caused to consumers. It expressed confidence that power would continue to be restored across remaining areas in the near term.

This incident is the latest major grid failure following similar events in recent years, including significant outages in October 2022 and November 2014, which led to investigations and disciplinary actions related to grid management. Power Grid Bangladesh and the BPDB have reiterated their commitment to preventing future occurrences by identifying vulnerabilities and improving operational protocols.