Palli Bidyut line keeps DEPZ running, consumers in trouble

Due to a lack of gas supply, United Power Generation & Distribution Company Ltd. is unable to produce and supply electricity to the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ), disrupting production across factories in the area. In response, Palli Bidyut Samity-1 has stepped in to keep the zone operational, allowing DEPZ factories to resume full-scale production. However, this has put surrounding residential and commercial consumers under the Palli Bidyut Samity-1 network in a difficult position, with prolonged load-shedding affecting hundreds of thousands of people, including garment workers.

United Power had the exclusive authority to supply electricity to DEPZ. Recently, Titas Gas suspended gas supply to United Power over unpaid bills, resulting in power disruptions throughout DEPZ. Following a request from the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), Palli Bidyut Samity-1 began supplying power to the area. While this has restored electricity to DEPZ, it has caused a surge in load-shedding across surrounding neighborhoods. Without an alternative solution, locals fear the situation will worsen.

Since last week, areas near DEPZ under the jurisdiction of Dhaka Palli Bidyut Samity-1 have experienced increased load-shedding, affecting small and large factories alike. Consumers are left without power for much of the day. Water pumps are inoperative, halting household chores like cooking, bathing, and collecting drinking water. With five to six hours of daily power outages, nearby businesses are incurring additional costs to continue operations.

According to Palli Bidyut Samity-1, power demand in the Nabinagar zone of Ashulia is 480 MW. But during summer, they can only supply 360–380 MW—falling short by 100–120 MW. In winter, the demand drops slightly, allowing for 400–420 MW of supply. Power is mainly sourced from the Kabirpur substation, which previously delivered a maximum of 310 MW to Palli Bidyut Samity-1. To support DEPZ, an additional 30 MW is now being supplied. The nearby Dhamrai substation is also set to contribute another 15 MW soon.

The demand for electricity at DEPZ is 40 MW, which was previously fully supplied by United Power. Palli Bidyut is currently supplying 37 MW. To meet this demand, 25 MW has been sourced from Kabirpur and another 15 MW from Dhamrai.

A field visit to DEPZ's surrounding areas revealed power outages in places like Kaichabari, Baipail, and parts of Bogabari starting from 8 a.m., lasting up to one and a half hours. By 9:30 a.m., most areas under the "Unique Zone" feeder had no electricity, with the outage continuing till noon. Four out of the seven DEPZ zones were out of power at that time. Household activities were severely disrupted. Some businesses resorted to costly alternatives like diesel-powered generators to maintain operations, while others halted their work entirely, leaving workers idle and resulting in financial losses for business owners.

Khadijatul Kobra, a working woman, said, “We’ve come here to learn, but we’re forced to sit idle due to the power outage. There’s no electricity at home either. We had no power this morning, and there’s none here. At night, it’s even worse—no electricity, mosquitoes, and we’re forced to sit outside.”

She added that ongoing severe load-shedding has made it nearly impossible to cook at night. “Since I have to leave home during the day, I can’t cook then either. Now I’m forced to buy food from outside. Everything in the fridge has gone bad. There's no water for bathing either—for us or the kids. The kids can’t sleep properly. We even bought a rechargeable fan, but due to the lack of electricity, we can’t charge it.”

Ibrahim Hossain, a maintenance worker at SB Knitting Ltd., a factory near the DEPZ security perimeter, said, “We heard that DEPZ has been connected to Palli Bidyut. Now we’re suffering load-shedding. Power goes out in the morning, and we don’t know when it will return. We’ve been running generators on diesel to continue production, which is costly. We don’t know how long we can sustain this. The government must ensure uninterrupted power supply in this industrial area. Workers work on a fixed schedule—if there’s no power during that time, they’re left idle. Yet we still have to pay their full wages. Production costs rise, but product prices remain the same.”

A line technician from the DEPZ zone of Palli Bidyut Samity-1, requesting anonymity, said, “I manage seven feeders. Since DEPZ was connected, the load has increased significantly. My area usually requires 13–15 MW, and I used to get 9–12 MW. Since last Tuesday, I’m only receiving 5 MW. That’s why load-shedding has worsened.”

Akhtaruzzaman Laskar, Senior General Manager of Dhaka Palli Bidyut Samity-1, said, “The line to DEPZ existed earlier, but they didn’t use it. That damaged our equipment. Now they need 40 MW. To provide that, we had to carry out technical upgrades. We’re ready now. We’ve also arranged an extra 45 MW from Kabirpur and Dhamrai substations to reduce the pressure on regular consumers. Load-shedding was already present during the summer due to a 100–120 MW shortfall. The power supplied to DEPZ is being managed through careful planning.”