Govt to ask industries to shut in peak hours

RAMADAN POWER MANAGEMENT
Govt to ask industries to shut in peak hours
The government will ask industries such as steel, re-rolling and textile mills around the capital and in Chittagong to stop their operation during evening peak hours in Ramadan to save on gas and electricity to reduce power outages.
An inter-ministerial meeting, headed by the state minister for power and energy, Enamul Haque, decided the industries ministry would sit with business association leaders to request them to stop operation of industries, especially steel and re-rolling mills, during evening peak hours in Ramadan.
The prime minister’s adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy secretary Mohammad Mohsin, power secretary Abul Kalam Azad, Petrobangla and Power Development Board chairmen and representatives of the cabinet division and the ministries of industries, home, commerce and labour also attended.
The meeting observed if large industries, especially in the Haripur and Narayanganj belts, would suspend production during evening peak hours, from 7:00pm to midnight, electricity and gas could be saved.
Power and energy officials estimated re-rolling and steel mills in the Haripur and Narayanganj belts and in Chittagong consume about 50–60 million cubic feet of gas and if the mills suspend operation during evening peak hours, gas could be diverted to power plants at Haripur now facing gas shortage.
The meeting also directed the Power Development Board to maintain power generation at about 4,200MW during evening peak hours in Ramadan with the gas to be saved by closing down the industries during the hours. The board now generates around 3,900MW of power.
The power board said from gas-based power plants, it generates 3,254MW from 8:00am to 7:00pm, 3,735MW from 7:00pm to midnight and 3,340MW from midnight to 8:00am in Ramadan if it gets the required amount of gas.
It projected that as power production from the non-gas plants would be 650MW, the generation should be more than 4,200MW during evening peak hours.
Even if the power board generates around 4,200MW, there will be severe outages as the actual demand for electricity during Ramadan will be around 5,500MW.
Officials of Petrobangla and power agencies such as the Dhaka Power Distribution Company told New Age they would take steps regarding gas and power supply to industries after the meeting at the industries ministry.
‘We will also request large industries in Narayanganj and at Shyampur, Postagola, Tejgaon and Tongi not to consume electricity during evening peak hours in Ramadan,’ said The meeting also asked the industries ministry to strongly enforce the evening ban on shops in Ramadan to reduce power outages.
Power distribution agencies were asked to formulate a new load shedding chart for Ramadan in consultation with local mosque committees.
‘We have taken some measures such as load management and some motivational programmes to keep power situation at tolerant level, especially at iftar, tarabi and sehri,’ said Enamul Haque at a briefing after the meeting.
He said all mosques would get uninterrupted supply for two days a week and the span of outage during evening peak hours would not be more than half an hour.
All mosques would get electricity at iftar and sehri as the utility services will supply power to the mosques through alternative sources, he said.

Courtesy of NewAgebd