MediumVI Energy Politics & Supply Security27 October 2026, Tuesday · 09:43 TRT (UTC+3)
A single line fault knocks 5,370 MW off Bangladesh's grid
A fault on the Meghnaghat-Haripur transmission line at 12:43 local time on 27 October plunged eastern Dhaka and parts of Chattogram into darkness. Generation fell from 14,719 MW at noon to 9,349 MW at 13:00.
TBS reports that Power Grid Bangladesh data show generation dropping by 5,370 MW within an hour; on our calculation, that is 36.5% of midday output. Gas-fired plant output fell from 4,382 MW to 1,734 MW, a decline of 60.4%. Coal-fired plants dropped from 4,863 MW to 2,947 MW, or 39.4%. According to the Daily Star, Gulshan, Rampura and Motijheel were affected, along with Bhulta, Haripur and Siddhirganj in Narayanganj. The Secretariat, which houses the ministries, was without power for about an hour.
BPDB chairman Rezaul Karim attributed the outage on 27 October to a trip on the Meghnaghat-Haripur line, but the exact technical cause has yet to be determined. Power Grid Bangladesh set up a five-member inquiry committee the same day and asked for its report within five working days. By 15:00, generation had recovered to 10,825 MW. BPDB member Zahurul Islam expected supply to reach a comfortable level around 22:00. The grid operator warned of intermittent load-shedding, or scheduled outages, while the recovery continued.
This is the third known major grid event in the past 12 years. According to TBS, a fault on the eastern grid on 4 October 2022 left much of the country without power for three to eight hours. On 1 November 2014, the national grid collapsed for about 12 hours.
Talay assessment
Bottom line
If one transmission line tripping can take more than a third of generation offline within seconds, the problem is not the number of power plants but the redundancy margin of the transmission network. Bangladesh has failed to close this vulnerability even after the collapses of 2022 and 2014. The committee report will probably point to human error or a protection setting problem, while network investment stays slow.
Likely effects
- Industry and garmentsNegativeWeeks
Factories around Dhaka switch to generators during outages; repeated collapses raise costs and delivery risk.
- Gas and LNG demandUncertainWeeks
Gas-fired plants dropped out hardest, down 60.4%, which makes the flexibility of gas supply critical when restarting the system.
- Infrastructure investmentPositive6 months+
The failure puts investment in the transmission network and protection systems at the top of the agenda; development bank financing may come into play.
Possibilities, ranked
- 1Report blames a technical fault, investment lags60%
Within five working days the committee finds negligence or a protection setting error, and a few officials are disciplined.
Watch: Publication of the Power Grid Bangladesh committee report and its recommendations
- 2New outages before winter25%
Load-shedding and regional outages recur for weeks.
Watch: BPDB daily load-shedding data and new reports of grid trips
- 3Comprehensive transmission programme15%
The government announces an accelerated investment package for the transmission network.
Watch: An Energy Ministry transmission investment plan or a development bank loan
Probabilities are calibrated judgement based on the sources, not measurement, and are revised as new information arrives. Not investment advice.
Market reaction
Indicators affected
- Generation lost (in 1 hour)▼ −5,370 MW
- Gas-fired plant output▼ −60.4%