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Power Grid Bangladesh PLC

autonomous · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
M. Rezwan Khan
Role
Chairman
Annual budget
—
Staff
—
Established
1996
Legal basis
Incorporated as a private limited company on 21 November 1996 under the Companies Act 1994 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB); converted to a public limited company on 5 March 2000; listed on Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange; transmission lines handed over from BPDB to PGCB in 2000 following sector unbundling

PGCB is at an infrastructure inflection point in mid-2026: the dedicated Rooppur transmission line is operational and awaiting the first 300 MW feed from Unit 1 (fuel loaded 28 April 2026, grid injection targeted for late July to early August 2026), while the ECNEC-revised project cost -- reduced by over Tk 2,300 crore but burdened by higher foreign-loan interest -- is pending final approval. Concurrently PGCB is seeking a 16 paisa/unit transmission charge increase at the BERC May 20 public hearing, the first formal tariff revision through the restored public-hearing process. The national transmission network as of December 2025 spans 3,087 circuit km of 400 kV lines, 5,024 circuit km of 230 kV lines, and 9,150 circuit km of 132 kV lines, served by 197 substations. Transmission bottlenecks continue to constrain dispatch from large coal plants including Payra. The ADB-financed SASEC Second Bangladesh-India Electrical Grid Interconnection upgrade -- which will raise cross-border import capacity from 500 MW to 1,000 MW at the Bheramara-Baharampur link -- is under implementation.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

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.

Sources