The power outage in Bangladesh has resulted in power outages for at least 130 million people in the country, according to government utility officials.
Energy Development Council spokesman Shamim Ahsan told AFP that at 2:00 pm local time, the grid was disrupted, resulting in power outages in more than 80% of the country. Ahsan explained that, with the exception of parts of northwestern Bangladesh, “the rest of the country is without electricity.” Ahsan said that at least 130 million people have been cut off from power, and that the reasons for the refusal are not yet known. He said the incident was “under investigation” and that it was likely a technical malfunction that could have caused the power outage.
Junaid Palak, Minister of State for Technology, indicated in a Facebook comment that power will resume in the capital, Dhaka, with a population of over 22 million, from 20:00. Bangladesh has experienced several power crises in recent months due to high energy prices amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Public anger is rising over prolonged power outages in the South Asian country, which is struggling to meet the cost of importing enough diesel and gas to meet electricity demand. Bangladesh’s last large-scale power outage occurred in November 2014, when about 70 percent of the country’s population was left without electricity for about ten hours.
