Tk 1,500cr Mymensingh Power Plant Shut for 26 Days
Md Shamsul Alam Khan
Is It a Gas Crisis or a Conspiracy?
The 210MW power plant of state-owned Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL) at Shambhuganj in Mymensingh, built at a cost of Tk 1,500 crore, has remained shut for 26 consecutive days. The authorities say the plant’s entire production has stopped due to a gas shortage. However, its prolonged low production compared with its capacity and the latest shutdown have raised various questions. Some locals even fear that there may be a conspiracy or other vested interests behind it.
The shutdown has worsened the electricity supply situation in Mymensingh Division. Local residents complain of frequent load-shedding in both the district town and rural areas. In some places, electricity reportedly remains unavailable for 12 to 15 hours a day. This is affecting ordinary people as well as businesses, agriculture, farms and industries.
According to RPCL sources, the 210MW power plant was built at Shambhuganj to meet the electricity demand of the Mymensingh region. Constructed in 1997, the project involved an investment of around Tk 1,500 crore in three phases. A pipeline was also built to supply gas to the plant. However, the plant has faced gas shortages at different times since its construction. Its production began declining as the country’s gas crisis intensified after 2007. According to RPCL officials, the 210MW plant had recently been unable to generate more than 30–35MW due to inadequate gas supply.
The company’s annual reports also show the plant’s low production. Its plant factor was 45 percent in the 2022-23 fiscal year, compared with 65–70 percent in 2021-22. In 2023-24, its monthly production fell below 40MW on several occasions. The situation has become even more critical this year. The plant has been completely shut for the past 26 days due to the gas shortage. At the same time, production at two other private power plants in the Mymensingh region has also declined. As a result, the electricity deficit has increased and load-shedding has intensified across the division.
Local residents complain that electricity is going off several times a day in different parts of the city. The prolonged outages are disrupting normal household activities. Many families are also facing difficulties with cooking due to the gas shortage. The situation is reportedly worse in rural areas. Locals say they are getting electricity for only a few hours a day. Prolonged load-shedding is also causing problems for agriculture, farms and small businesses.
The plant’s prolonged low production compared with its capacity, gas supply crisis and complete shutdown for 26 days have raised various questions among locals. Some fear that there may be a conspiracy, mismanagement or the involvement of vested-interest groups behind the situation. The questions remain: Is it merely a gas crisis, or is there another reason behind it? Why has a government power plant built at a cost of Tk 1,500 crore been unable to operate at full capacity for years? Why has no long-term solution to the gas crisis been found? And why has no permanent solution been reached even after the plant has remained shut for 26 days?
When asked about these issues, RPCL Managing Director A H M Rashed said the 210MW power plant had been completely shut for 26 days due to the gas shortage. He said the shutdown had affected electricity supplies, particularly in Mymensingh Division. According to him, production can resume once gas supply is restored. He also acknowledged the suffering of ordinary people.
