Additional demand for electricity during the World Cup Cricket tournaments, Secondary School Certificate Examinations and for irrigation would aggravate the power crisis in February-March, said officials.
They said that the consumers should be ready for frequent load shedding from February to May, the boro irrigation season.
The growing gap between supply and demand in summer, they said, would give the consumers no respite from more frequent load-shedding.
The demand for electricity would peak to 6,700 megawatts in April against the government’s plan to raise the generation capacity to 5,000 MW from 3,600 MW.
The state minister for power, Enamul Huq, told reporters on Thursday about the government’s plan to increase generation for power management during the irrigation season.
After an inter-ministry meeting at the secretariat on load management during the irrigation season, he said that the government would give priority to irrigation and fertiliser production.
He asked the consumers, especially those living in cities to be economical in using electricity.
The prime minister’s adviser on power Towfiq-e-Elahi, who attended the meeting, gave the assurance that the country’s power situation would improve from June, 2011, when generation would increase to 6,000 MW.
He asked the consumers to have patience during the coming summer.
He said that it would be the last summer for them to suffer load-shedding.
The government earlier decided to provide uninterrupted power supply for irrigation from 11 PM to 6 AM everyday in February and April.
Enamul said that the government would take multi-pronged steps to increase power generation and supply for improved load management during the peak season.
Power utility officials said that the demand in the capital city alone would increase to 2,400 MW in February-March when many consumers would start using fans and air conditioners.
After meeting irrigation’s demand for electricity, estimated at 1,400 MW, the authorities would be left with 2,600 MW to meet other demands, said officials.
