Heatwave heightens electricity generation, LNG supply

Bangladesh has been generating electricity near its record high and re-gasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the highest level ever recorded to meet the rising power demand during the ongoing heat wave, according to official data.

The country's overall electricity generation reached 15,358 megawatts (MW) during evening peak hours on Saturday, just 290 MW short of the all-time high of 15,648 MW recorded on April 19, 2023, according to the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) of the state-owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd (PGCB).

A senior official of the Power Division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources expected overall electricity generation to possibly reach as high as 17,500 MW during the ongoing heat wave.

On Saturday, state-run Petrobangla re-gasified around 1,005 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of LNG -- the highest volume since LNG imports began on April 24, 2018.

Both the country's floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) -- owned by US company Excelerate Energy and the local Summit Group -- are now operational.

Previously, the country re-gasified around 980 mmcfd of LNG -- which was the highest volume recorded during the previous summer season immediately following Cyclone Mocha, according to Petrobangla data.

Overall LNG re-gasification may increase further due to surging demand, as the re-gasification capacity was raised by 10 per cent to 1,100 mmcfd this year through the overhaul of both FSRUs, according to a senior official from the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.

The capacity of Excelerate Energy's FSRU 'Excellence' was increased to 600 mmcfd in January this year from its previous capacity of 500 mmcfd during its overhaul, he added.

Amid the severe heat wave, the country's capital city Dhaka recorded a temperature near its highest in decades -- reaching 40.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Dhaka was 40.6 degrees Celsius during the last summer, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

Bangladesh's highest temperature during the heat wave, however, was recorded at 42.6 degrees Celsius in southwestern Jashore on Saturday, according to the BMD.

The country's overall electricity generation capacity currently stands at 26,354 MW.

Of the total electricity generation of 15,358 MW on Saturday, 51.34 per cent, or 7,886 MW, came from gas-based power plants.