BERC to decide further power tariff increase
Power distribution agencies will on November 1 start giving new connections ending a suspension of new connections, enforced on April 1, which was extended twice in six months, officials said on Thursday.
‘We will start giving new connections on November 1. But it will not be possible to give connections to all the applicants,’ said the Power Development Board chairman, ASM Alamgir Kabir, at a workshop on the power sector development and the media role at Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka.
He said new connections would be conditional for high-level commercial and household consumers. They will need to meet party of their demands by solar power.
‘The government will have taken some initiatives such as bank loans by the time to encourage consumers to set up solar panels,’ he said.
The government stopped giving new power connections on April 1 amid severe countrywide power outages because of a huge gap between the demand the supply.
The deadline was extended twice and it was extended last by month on October 1.
The power board director (planning and systems), Mizanur Rahman, read out the keynote paper on the present power generation at the workshop.
Mizan said power tariff needed to be increased by 12 per cent every six months to offset projected losses from the fuel oil-driven rental and peaking power plants.
Power officials said the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission would make a decision on power price increase.
The board also collected recommendations from journalists at the workshop and the recommendations were made public.
The information minister, Abul Kalam Azad, attended as chief guest. The prime minister’s adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and the state minister for power and energy, Enamul Haq, also attended.
Azad stressed the need for implementation of the ongoing power projects. He urged journalists to write about good works of the government and the people’s demand.
He said government had allowed establishment of community radios to highlight its works.
Defending the enactment of a law for speedy implementation of power projects, Tawfiq said the law was for special circumstances.
