The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Power Development Board (PDB) has curtailed its power generation target from 4000 MW to 3300 MW, PDB sources said.

According to sources, following the tropical storm SIDR Thursday night, the demand of power declined due to disruption in supply and distribution systems, mainly in the south and southwestern zones.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Electricity Supply Authority (DESA) could not supply electricity in Dhanmondi and adjacent areas in the city as two of its Power Grid Transformers went out of order since the National Power Grid failure Thursday night.

The residents of those areas will have to suffer power crisis, as it would take four more days to repair the two damaged grid transformers having 100 MW capacity.

PDP has allocated only 1300 MW for (DESA) against its 1500 to 1600 MW demand.

DESA and PDP officials said the power demand during the winter season is less than the summer season.

PDB's engineers said yesterday they had fixed the power generation target up to 3219 MW. Till 8:00pm, they had generated 3099 MW and it would increase up to 3200 MW by Sunday night while its normal generation capacity is about 4200 MW.

Sources said the demand of power decreased as the supply and distribution systems in the south and the southwestern zones are out of order following the lashing of SIDR hit.

As the SIDR tore apart the electric lines and uprooted thousands of poles, the distribution system in south and southwestern zones went out of order. Therefore, there is no system to supply power in the areas. Private Western Zone Company Ltd, which consumes about 430 MW distributes power in those zones.

According to DESA, some 230 feeder-stations of 11-KV out of 379 and 27 feeder-stations of 33KV out of 65 and seven sub-stations in Dhaka went down due to the cyclone.

According to Rural Electrification Board figures, 29 Palli Bidyut Samity (associations) out of 70 in the country were damaged by the cyclone, with some 1,722 electric poles and 700km of cable uprooted or split apart.