Power crisis will ease in two days with 500 MW added to national grid: Hasina

The prime minister says the situation will improve further in 10-15 more days

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 7 June 2023, 08:02 PM
Updated : 7 June 2023, 08:02 PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the frequent and long power outages will relent within two days with 500 MW of electricity to be added to the national grid.

The situation will improve further in 10-15 more days, she said at a discussion in Dhaka on Wednesday, as Bangladesh continued to face up to 3,000 MW of shortage daily on an average for weeks.

“We understand the people’s suffering. We’re trying hard. Within a day, or two, 500 MW will be added. There’ll be no suffering due to the power crisis after 15 days,” she said.

She remarked that energy crisis is a worldwide problem now. “The reasons are also global. This has happened after we provided every house with electricity.”

Hasina said the power sector performed well during the past decade of the Awami League’s rule, but an intense heatwave has worsened the ongoing situation. “No one thought that temperatures would rise to 41 degrees Celsius. And there’s no rain.”

She slammed critics for their comments on the situation. They would not have been able to talk if the Awami League had not allowed private TV stations to air talk shows or the government had not taken the Digital Bangladesh initiative, the prime minister quipped.

She was also critical of the US for targeting Russia with sanctions that harmed other countries such as Bangladesh. “This has fuelled inflation in every country. And the people with limited income are suffering.”