The Facts
Power has been restored across Bangladesh following the failure of the national power grid on Tuesday. The failure - which is still under investigation - plunged most of the country into darkness for nearly seven hours.
The outage caused shopping malls and markets to close early or operate by candlelight. Many residents gathered at fuel stations where they could access diesel to run generators.
The Spin
Narrative A
Patience is needed as Bangladesh rides the global energy disruptions catalyzed by the Russia-Ukraine war. The downstream effects impact developing nations like Bangladesh especially hard. Nonetheless, Dhaka is pressing ahead with purchasing energy fields and planning to deliver power to the nation's rural regions. These efforts will take some time under challenging global conditions - especially as Dhaka tries to maintain economic growth.
Narrative B
There is certainly global energy stress, like the Ukraine War, but Bangladesh has long lagged in developing a diversified energy sector, including decreasing reliance on fossil fuels and imports. Dhaka needs to invest in solar power and explore domestic gas reserves if it hopes to be more resilient to global energy shocks and stressors.
