Power Grid Bangladesh PLC

The biggest issue facing Power Grid Bangladesh PLC is the operational and financial strain caused by the national fuel crisis, which has forced the reliance on distant power generation, resulting in increased transmission losses and higher costs that complicate the company's efforts to maintain grid stability and financial profitability.

PGCB was incorporated 21 November 1996 under the Companies Act 1994 as a BPDB subsidiary, converted to a public limited company on 5 March 2000, and listed on DSE and CSE. It is the country's sole high-voltage transmission operator and runs the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC). Prof. Dr. M. Rezwan Khan (BUET EEE faculty, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Gold Medal 2005, IDCOL Technical Standard Committee chair since 2003) became Chairman on 3 November 2024, verified from PGCB board-of-directors page and Wikipedia. Transmission network footprint as of December 2025: 3,087 ckm at 400 kV, 5,024 ckm at 230 kV, 9,150 ckm at 132 kV; 197 substations including 1 at 400 kV, 10 at 400/230 kV, 4 at 400/132 kV, 34 at 230/132 kV, 2 at 230/33 kV, and 146 at 132/33 kV -- from PGCB official transmission page. Rooppur timeline: fuel loading began 28 April 2026 (The Daily Star, TBS, Dhaka Tribune); phased power ramp-up over 40 days expected to deliver approximately 300 MW (30% of Unit 1's 1,200 MW capacity) to the national grid late July to early August 2026 (TBS, Bonikbarta); PGCB's dedicated evacuation line commissioned in June 2025 ahead of this event (tendersgo.com citing earlier PGCB commissioning). The Rooppur transmission project's revised DPP saw cost reduction of over Tk 2,300 crore but extended the project from an original December 2022 completion date to June 2026, with higher interest burden from foreign loans -- per Dhaka Tribune investigation April 2026. BERC tariff hearing dates (20-21 May 2026) verified across Dhaka Tribune, bdnews24, Financial Express, and Prothom Alo. PGCB's 16 paisa/unit transmission charge proposal is cited in BERC and BPDB hearing documents summarised in those four outlets. ADB SASEC Second Interconnection Project (500 MW to 1,000 MW upgrade at Bheramara-Baharampur) is ADB project 44192-016, confirmed on adb.org. Transmission bottleneck affecting coal plant dispatch (Payra and others) reported by Bonikbarta May 2026.