Electrical Power Crisis in Bangladesh: Impacts of the Optimal Use of Energy Limited Hydro Unit on the System Reliability and Production Cost

Bangladesh power system (BPS) is forced to curtail electric demand during the peak hours; usually evening, of the day throughout the year and most of the hours of the day in the summer. Although the lower available generation capacity compared to demand is the reason of this crisis, however, it may be reduced if the present hydro resource is optimally utilized. This paper investigates the impacts of the exhaustive use of the existing energy limited (EL) hydro plant on the reliability and production cost with a view to provide a guideline to the system planner. It compares the reliability and production costs of BPS with the conventional use of hydro resource with those with the optimal hydro resource use. The investigation period ranges from the last one year to coming nineteen years. To create a feeling about the magnitude of the crisis among the utility planners and consumers the interruption cost of the unserved energy is evaluated. The simulation results seem to be useful for the system planners.