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Electricity supply from India’s Adani power plant to Bangladesh resumed partially Saturday evening after a 17-hour complete shutdown due to technical issues in both of its generation units. The coal-based plant, located in Godda, Jharkhand, has a total capacity of 1,600 MW across two 800 MW units.
The outage began late Friday night when both units went offline, halting power exports to Bangladesh and raising fears of increased load shedding. According to officials from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) and the Power Development Board (PDB), one unit resumed generation around 6:15 PM Saturday, offering some relief to the national grid.
Before the disruption, the plant was supplying up to 1,400 MW of electricity. Even after the first unit went down on April 8, it had continued to supply over 750 MW. However, with both units offline for most of Saturday, many parts of the country experienced load shedding, especially during peak demand periods.
Electricity demand peaked at 14,000 MW around 3:00 PM Saturday, with load shedding reaching up to 428 MW. In the preceding two hours, the shortfall exceeded 300 MW, prompting authorities to increase generation from oil-fired plants and request additional gas supplies from Petrobangla.
PDB Member (Generation) Md Zahurul Islam confirmed that enhanced oil-based production helped mitigate some of the day’s shortages. “We had to ramp up oil-fired generation and requested extra gas supply. The return of one Adani unit is certainly a relief,” he said.
The Adani facility has faced repeated controversies over pricing and payment delays. In 2024, electricity delivery was disrupted due to unpaid dues, which were later cleared. Although both units had been operating steadily since March 2025, negotiations over coal pricing and outstanding payments are ongoing. PDB sources indicate that Adani’s current outstanding dues have dropped to $500 million.
The plant began commercial operations in April 2023 with its first unit, followed by the second in June. Bangladesh signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Adani in 2017. An interim committee of the caretaker government is currently reviewing the deal amid rising scrutiny over coal pricing and energy security.
With summer heat intensifying and Pohela Boishakh festivities imminent, ensuring reliable power supply remains a critical priority for the government and utility providers.
