Power generation at Bangladesh’s only hydropower facility, the Karnaphuli Hydropower Plant in Kaptai, has dropped sharply to just 46 megawatts (MW) due to a significant fall in the water level of Kaptai Lake, the plant’s reservoir.
The plant, which normally operates five turbine units with a combined capacity of 242 MW, is currently running only Unit 4, according to officials.
Control room sources said the water level in Kaptai Lake now stands at 98.7 feet, nearly seven feet below the 105-foot level recommended for this time of year under the plant’s operational “rule curve.”
A similar situation occurred in May 2025, when falling reservoir levels forced power generation to be reduced to around 40 MW from a single unit.
Built in 1960 in Rangamati, the Kaptai Dam has a maximum storage capacity of 109 feet. Water is usually released into the Karnaphuli River through 16 sluice gates when the level reaches between 107 and 108 feet. Each gate measures 12.2 metres in length and 11.3 metres in width, with a combined discharge capacity of up to 5,25,000 cubic feet per second.
Mahmud Hasan, plant manager of the Karnaphuli Hydropower Plant, told Jago News that water levels have been declining steadily since December, forcing authorities to scale back operations.
“Electricity generation here depends entirely on water availability,” he said. “When water levels are higher, we can run two units. But during the dry season, reductions like this are unavoidable.”
Arman Khan/MHK/NMA