A disruption in Bangladesh’s national power grid cut electricity to parts of Dhaka and Chattogram on Tuesday, October 27, affecting the Secretariat, Bangladesh Bank and several other important areas. The outage began at around 12:43 pm, interrupting power supply across parts of the country.
Power Grid Bangladesh PLC later announced that restoration work on the national grid had been completed by 2:30 pm. However, power plants were being brought back online gradually, and scattered load-shedding was expected to continue until electricity generation increased.
What caused the outage?
According to the Power Division, a technical fault on the Meghnaghat–Haripur national grid line disrupted electricity supply to Dhaka and other affected areas.
The precise technical mechanism behind the disruption was not immediately explained. While the initial reports said the cause was unknown, the Power Division subsequently identified the fault on the Meghnaghat–Haripur line as the cause of the outage.
The incident highlights how a fault affecting a major part of the transmission network can interrupt electricity supply across multiple areas, even when power generation remains available elsewhere.
Which areas were affected?
The outage affected eastern Dhaka, including Bhulta, Haripur, Siddhirganj, Gulshan, Rampura, Ullon and Motijheel. Other areas reporting power cuts included Moghbazar, Madhubag, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Banasree and Khilgaon.
The Secretariat and Bangladesh Bank were also without electricity. Parts of Chattogram experienced similar disruptions.
Power Grid Bangladesh said electricity supply remained normal in the northern region and other unaffected parts of the country, indicating that the disruption did not bring the entire national grid to a standstill.
How is the national grid managed?
Bangladesh’s national grid connects power plants, transmission lines, substations and distribution networks to deliver electricity to consumers across the country.
The National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) is responsible for coordinating the operation of the national grid. It manages the balance between electricity generation and demand and coordinates the operation of the interconnected power system.
When a major transmission line develops a fault, protection systems may disconnect affected sections to prevent further damage and maintain system stability. Depending on the nature and extent of the fault, this can interrupt supply across several locations.
Restoring electricity requires engineers to assess the affected equipment, re-establish transmission connections and bring power plants and other parts of the system back into operation in a controlled sequence.
How was electricity restored?
Following the outage, Power Grid Bangladesh said engineers were working to restore connections in phases. The Power Division also confirmed that emergency measures were underway to resume electricity supply to affected areas.
By 2:30 pm, Power Grid Bangladesh announced that restoration of the national grid had been completed. All grid transmission lines and grid substations were operational, according to the company.
However, the restoration of the transmission network did not mean that every power plant had immediately returned to full operation. Power plants were being restarted in stages, and electricity generation was expected to increase gradually.
The company said scattered load-shedding could continue during this period but would ease as generation increased and supply returned to normal.
What does the incident mean?
The outage demonstrates the importance of transmission infrastructure in maintaining a reliable electricity supply. A fault on a key grid line can affect multiple areas simultaneously, disrupting government offices, financial institutions, businesses and households.
It also highlights the distinction between restoring the national grid and fully normalising electricity supply. Although transmission lines and substations may be brought back into operation, power plants must also resume generation and supply must be balanced with demand.
Power Grid Bangladesh apologised for the temporary inconvenience caused by the disruption.
With the grid restoration completed and power plants being brought back online, the authorities expected electricity supply in the affected areas to return to normal as generation increased.