Boiler Overheating Causes Grid Deficit
Rampal Plant Glitch Halves Power Generation
- Boiler thermal failure forces Rampal Unit-2 offline, shedding over 500MW output
- WZPDCL reports sharp supply deficits causing frequent rotational blackouts across southwest
- Full grid recovery expected in three-to-four days pending foreign engineering intervention
A critical boiler thermal failure and internal mechanical malfunction forced the complete shutdown of Rampal Thermal Power Plant's Unit-2, halving its generation feed to the national grid.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026: The Bagerhat-based coal-fired plant saw power output tumble from over 1,100MW to below 600MW—a deficit exceeding 500MW—after Unit-2 went offline on Sunday morning. The shortfall triggered widespread rotational blackouts across the southwestern regions under West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL), subjecting Khulna residents to hourly power outages amid sweltering heat.
According to the WZPDCL control room, demand reached 807MW at 1:00 PM on Wednesday against an actual supply of 629MW, forcing a 129MW deficit. In Khulna zone, supply clocked 494MW against a 618MW requirement (124MW load shedding), while Barishal received 135MW against a 189MW demand (54MW load shedding). By district, load shedding stood at 56MW in Khulna, 8MW in Magura, 13MW in Kushtia, 11MW in Jhenaidah, 6MW in Chuadanga, 6MW in Faridpur, 12MW in Rajbari, 6MW in Madaripur, 2MW in Shariatpur, 4MW in Gopalganj, 31MW in Barishal, 5MW in Jhalakathi, 3MW in Pirojpur, 6MW in Patuakhali, 3MW in Barguna, and 6MW in Bhola. On Tuesday (September 15) at 7:00 PM, a 30MW shortfall occurred against a 747MW demand (supply was 717MW; 26MW in Khulna, 4MW in Barishal, with shedding in Magura, Narail, Faridpur, Rajbari, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Patuakhali, and Bhola). Earlier that day at 1:00 PM, full supply met the 778MW peak without blackouts.
Despite adequate coal reserves at the Indo-Bangladesh joint venture plant, extreme thermal conditions halted operations. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Member (Generation) Md. Zahurul Islam stated that the disabled unit is currently undergoing an essential cool-down cycle. Rampal Power Plant Chief Public Relations Officer Anwarul Azim said, "The boiler repair work will be carried out once the Indian specialist engineers arrive. Meanwhile, local engineers have initiated preliminary boiler diagnostics. However, restoring 100 percent generation will require at least three to four days."
//DBTech/BNO/MIST//
