ABSTRACT

A study to the Current Status of National Power grid

system of Bangladesh.

Mr. Alamgir Mollah Robin

National Power
Grid of
Bangladesh

Introduction
A power transmission grid is a network of power stations, transmission lines, and substations. Energy is
usually transmitted within a grid with three-phase AC. Single-phase AC is used only for distribution to
end users since it is not usable for large poly phase induction motors. In the 20th century, two-phase
transmission was used but required either four wires or three wires with unequal currents. Higher order
phase systems require more than three wires, but deliver little or no benefit.
A key limitation of electric power is that, with minor exceptions, electrical energy cannot be stored, and
therefore must be generated as needed. A sophisticated control system is required to ensure electric
generation very closely matches the demand. If the demand for power exceeds the supply, generation
plant and transmission equipment can shut down, which in the worst case may lead to a major regional
blackout, It is to reduce the risk of such a failure that electric transmission networks are interconnected
into regional, national or continent wide networks thereby providing multiple redundant alternative
routes for power to flow should such equipment failures occur.
The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, an enterprise of Bangladesh Power Development Board. (BPDB)
designs, install, maintain and Administrators the transmission networks to transport the energy as
efficiently as feasible, while at the same time taking into account economic factors, network safety and
redundancy in Bangladesh. These networks use components such as power lines, cables, circuit breakers,
switches and transformers.

Electricity in Bangladesh
Electricity is the major source of power for most of the country's economic activities. Bangladesh's
installed electric generation capacity was 10289 MW in January, 2014; only three-fourth of which is
considered to be available.

Public Sector

Installed Generation Capacity (MW)

BPDB

4126

APSCL

687

EGCB

622

NWPGCL

368

RPCL

77
Subtotal

5,880(54%)

Private Sector

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IPPs

1966

SIPPs (BPDB)

99

SIPPs (REB)

251

15 YR. Rental

167

3/5 YR. Rental

1954

Power Import

500

Subtotal

4937(46%)

TOTAL

10,817

Table-1: Present Installed Generation Capacity (MW) as on January, 2015.

Only 62% of the population has access to electricity with a per capita availability of 321 kWh per annum.
Problems in the Bangladesh's electric power sector include corruption in administration, high system
losses, and delays in completion of new plants, low plant efficiencies, erratic power supply, electricity
theft, blackouts, and shortages of funds for power plant maintenance. Overall, the country's generation
plants have been unable to meet system demand over the past decade.

Grid System Architecture:

Among presently used transmission line, most of the transmission lines are high-voltage three-phase
alternating current (AC), although single phase AC is sometimes used in railway electrification systems.
High-voltage direct-current (HVDC) technology is used for greater efficiency at very long distances
(typically hundreds of miles (kilometers)), or in submarine power cables (typically longer than 30 miles
(50 km)). HVDC links are also used to stabilize and control problems in large power distribution networks
where sudden new loads or blackouts in one part of a network can otherwise result in synchronization
problems and cascading failures.

Figure:-1 Diagram of an electric power system; transmission system is in blue.

Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to
electrical substations located near demand centers. This is distinct from the local wiring between highvoltage substations and customers, which is typically referred to as electric power distribution.
Transmission lines, when interconnected with each other, become transmission networks. The combined
transmission and distribution network is known as the "power grid" or just "the grid" or the "National Grid".

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Transmission lines
The Padma-Jamuna-Meghna river system divides Bangladesh into two zones, East and West. The East
contains nearly all of the country's electric generating capacity, while the West, with almost no natural
resources, must import power from the East. Electricity interconnection from the East to the West was
accomplished in 1982 by a new, 230-kilovolt (kV) power transmission line. The vast majority of
Bangladesh's electricity consumption takes place in the East, with the entire region west of the Jamuna
River accounting for only 22% of the total. Greater Dhaka alone consumes around half of Bangladeshi
electricity.
Transmission line in Bangladesh consist of both Overhead Transmission Line and Underground
Transmission line.
High-voltage overhead conductors are not covered by insulation. The conductor material is nearly always
an aluminum alloy, made into several strands and possibly reinforced with steel strands. Copper was
sometimes used for overhead transmission, but aluminum is lighter, yields only marginally reduced
performance and costs much less. Overhead conductors are a commodity supplied by several companies
worldwide. Improved conductor material and shapes are regularly used to allow increased capacity and
modernize transmission circuits. Conductor sizes range from 12 mm2 (#6 American wire gauge) to
750 mm2 (1,590,000 circular mils area), with varying resistance and current-carrying capacity. Thicker
wires would lead to a relatively small increase in capacity due to the skin effect, which causes most of
the current to flow close to the surface of the wire. Because of this current limitation, multiple parallel
cables (called bundle conductors) are used when higher capacity is needed. Bundle conductors are also
used at high voltages to reduce energy loss caused by corona discharge.

Electric power can also be transmitted by underground power cables instead of overhead power lines.
Underground cables take up less right-of-way than overhead lines, have lower visibility, and are less
affected by bad weather. However, costs of insulated cable and excavation are much higher than
overhead construction. Faults in buried transmission lines take longer to locate and repair. Underground
lines are strictly limited by their thermal capacity, which permits less overload or re-rating than overhead
lines. Long underground AC cables have significant capacitance, which may reduce their ability to provide
useful power to loads beyond 50 miles. Long underground DC cables have no such issue and can run for
thousands of miles.

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Figure-2: Existing and Proposed Transmission Line in Bangladesh by BPDB.

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As per transmission voltages, Transmission Line in Bangladesh are classified as

1. 400 KV Transmission Line
2. 230 KV Transmission Line
3. 132 KV transmission Line

A.) 400KV Transmission Lines

Sl.
No.

Name of Lines

BheramaraBaharampur
Total

Length in Route
kilometers

Length in Ckt.
kilometers

27.35

54.70

27.35

54.70

No. of
Ckt.

Conductor
Name

Size

Current carrying
capacity (Amps)

Double Twin Finch 1113 MCM

B.) 230 KV Transmission Lines

Sl.
No.

Conductor

Name of Lines

Length in Route
kilometers

Length in Ckt.
kilometers

No. of
Ckt.

Name

Size

Current carrying
capacity (Amps)

Ghorasal-Ishurdi (1st
EWI)

178.00

356

Double

Mallard

795 MCM

753

Tongi - Ghorasal

27

54

Double

Mallard

795 MCM

753

Ghorasal - Ashuganj

44

88

Double

Mallard

795 MCM

753

Raojan - Hathazari

22.5

45

Double

Twin 300
sq.mm

Ashuganj - Comilla
North

79

158

Double

Finch

1113 MCM

1500

Ghorasal - Rampura

50

100

Double

Twin
Mallard

2x795 MCM

1500

Rampura - Haripur

28

56

Double

Twin
Mallard

2x795 MCM

1500

Haripur Meghnaghat

12.5

25

Double

Twin
Mallard

2x795 MCM

1500

Meghnaghat Hasnabad

26

52

Double

Twin
Mallard

2x795 MCM

1500

10

Comilla North Hathazari

150

300

Double

Finch

1113 MCM

1500

11

AES, Haripur Haripur

2.4

4.8

Double

Finch

1113 MCM

1500

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750

12

Comilla North Meghnaghat

13

Twin
Mallard

58

116

Double

Hasnabad Aminbazar - Tongi

46.5

93

Double Twin AAAC

14

Siddhirganj 210 MW
P/S - Haripur

1.5

1.5

Single

15

Ashuganj - Sirajganj
(2nd EWI)

143

286

Double Twin AAAC

ACSR

2x795 MCM

1500

37/4.176
mm.

1500

600 sq.
mm.
37/4.176
mm.

Table -2: List of Transmission Line in Bangladesh, Source: PGCB, 2014.

As per PGCB the transmission structure of Bangladesh National Power Grid up to October 2014 is as
follows:
-400 kV line 164.70 ckt km
-230 kV Line 3,044.45 ckt km
-132 kV Line 6,210 ckt km
-400 kV Substation 1 Nos. 500Mw HVDC Back to Back station
-230/132 kV Substation 18 Nos. 8775 MVA
-132/33 kV Substation 88 Nos. 11255 MVA

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1500