Bangladesh’s Power Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud told Parliament on Sunday that temporary power interruptions during summer and irrigation seasons should not be termed load-shedding. He explained that such outages occur due to fuel shortages, maintenance work, storms, and infrastructure limitations, which occasionally disrupt electricity supply when demand peaks at around 18,000 megawatts. Responding to lawmakers’ questions, he said there is currently no power shortage in the country.

The minister stated that Bangladesh’s grid-based generation capacity stands at 28,919 megawatts, with 32 new power plants under construction adding 7,928 megawatts of capacity. Additionally, tenders are ongoing for 15 renewable energy-based plants with a combined capacity of 665 megawatts, expected to be operational by 2030. He emphasized that 100 percent of the population now has access to electricity and that the government aims to ensure uninterrupted, quality power for all by 2030.

Mahmud added that the government has taken coordinated measures to meet projected demand for 2026, ensuring adequate fuel supply and maintenance of gas, coal, and liquid fuel-based plants to avoid load-shedding.