1,100MW drops from grid as six power plants trip offline after earthquake

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake today (21 November) caused major disruptions to the national power system, taking at least 1,100 megawatts (MW) of electricity off the grid after six power plants tripped offline simultaneously.

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) officials said 200–250MW had been restored by the afternoon, with further progress expected by evening.

“At least six power plants tripped offline immediately following the earthquake. We are now trying to fix the problems with alternative instruments so that this substation can be brought into operation soon, as this substation is connected with many distribution lines,” Zahurul Islam, member (production) of BPDB, told The Business Standard.

The largest single loss came from the 660MW first unit of SS Power, owned by S Alam Group, which went offline instantly.

Updated information from BPDB’s media and public relations department shows that Bibiyana 2 (Summit) 341MW CCPP and Bibiyana 3 (BPDB) 400MW CCPP, including its 134MW steam turbine, also went offline almost immediately after the tremor.

Further losses occurred at Ashuganj 225MW CCPP, where the 75MW steam turbine tripped, along with Ashuganj Precision 55MW and Ashuganj TSK 50MW, both engine-based plants.

The Sirajganj Unit-1 225MW CCPP also shut down, with its 75MW steam turbine tripping due to the shock.

One of the most significant disruptions came from the sudden disconnection of the 600MW Unit-2 of SS Power, the country’s largest private coal plant, creating a major supply gap.

Officials reported extensive damage to insulators, breaker bushings, busbars and isolators, leaving all 230kV, 132kV and 33kV lines connected to the Ghorashal substation unenergised.

The outage has severely limited the ability to reroute or stabilise the power supply in surrounding areas.

“Despite the challenges, BPDB has already managed to restore 200–250MW. Restoration efforts are underway,” said Zahurul Islam.

He added that efforts were continuing to bring SS Power back online, adding, “If possible, electricity supply would to a large extent return to normalcy.”

Today’s earthquake has once again highlighted the vulnerability of the country’s power infrastructure.