DigitEye India Fact Checkers
A social media post is being shared on X claiming that India’s Adani group, the main supplier of electricity to Bangladesh, has stopped supplying power to Bangladesh. See the post here:
अंत मे आज से #अदाणी ग्रुप ने #बांग्लादेश को दी जाने वाली बिजली की सप्लाई बंद कर दी है, 800 मिलियन डॉलर की उधारी चढ़ने के बाद…
इसके परिणाम स्वरूप ढाका को छोड़ कर बाकी लगभग सभी जिलों और गांवों में 10 से 12 घंटे का पावरकट शुरू हो चुका हूं…
अब करो नागिन डांस…
— 🇮🇳Jitendra pratap singh🇮🇳 (@jpsin1) September 12, 2024
The claim made in Hindi reads:”अंत मे आज से #अदाणी ग्रुप ने #बांग्लादेश को दी जाने वाली बिजली की सप्लाई बंद कर दी है, 800 मिलियन डॉलर की उधारी चढ़ने के बाद… इसके परिणाम स्वरूप ढाका को छोड़ कर बाकी लगभग सभी जिलों और गांवों में 10 से 12 घंटे का पावरकट शुरू हो चुका हूं… अब करो नागिन डांस…” Translated into English, it reads: “Finally, as of today #अदाणी Group has stopped supplying power to #बांग्लादेश , after running into a debt of $800 million… As a result, power cuts of 10 to 12 hours have started in almost all the districts and villages except Dhaka… Now do the Naagin dance…”
FACT CHECK
When Digiteye India received a request to fact-check the claim, we first searched for news related to India stopping electricity supply to Dhaka and found no news to support the claim.
As of sept. 20, 2024, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) owes nearly $1 billion in unpaid bills to Indian electricity producers, including Adani Power and state-run firms NTPC, PTC among others, according to news reports. And Bangladesh owes $800 million to Adani Power alone. The same was acknowledged by Bangladesh Bank’s newly-appointed Governor, Ahsan H. Mansur, in an interview with Bloomberg.
Owing to pending bills, Adani Power has reportedly sent a letter to the new Bangladeshi government, requesting payment of dues owed by the BPDB for electricity supplied. However, the reports also highlighted the fact that Adani Power has assured the Bangladesh government that it will continue to provide electricity supply at ‘competitive’ rates.
However, the local newspaper ‘Dhaka Tribune’ reported that India’s electricity producers have reduced the supply from 1,500 MW to 880 MW, quoting Khondker Mokammel Hossain, a BPDB member. He told Dhaka Tribune: “On one hand, reduced LNG supply has led to a decrease of approximately 1,500MW of electricity production, and on the other hand, due to unpaid bills, we are receiving 500MW less electricity from Adani. The government has taken steps to settle the outstanding payments. While it may not be possible to pay off the entire amount at once, part of the dues will be paid in the coming days to restore full capacity.”
As per the official figures from the Indian National Load Dispatch Centre (GRID-INDIA), electricity supply to Bangladesh on Sept. 20, 2024 is as shown below:
The table indicates that India has not stopped its electricity supply to Bangladesh. Hence, the claim that India has stopped electricity supply to Bangladesh is false.
Claim: India’s Adani Group has stopped supplying power to Bangladesh after running into a debt of $800 million.
Conclusion: Misleading. Adani group has asked Bangladesh to clear the pending dues but did not stop electricity supply as of Sept. 20, 2024.
Rating: Misleading — 
