Consumers across the country are going to experience another spell of power hike by this month as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday endorsed the power and energy ministry’s proposal to rationalise the power tariff. “The prime minister has given her nod for rationalisation of power tariff,” Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, adviser to the prime minister, told The Independent following a closed door meeting with the power and energy division officials at the secretariat.
“The tariff will be increase within a month, however, it will be effective from the back date,” another senior official said.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) in its proposal sought 17 percent to 40 per cent hike in power tariff to offset huge losses they are incurring.
According to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), since February 2011 the commission has so far increased retail power prices by 43.75 per cent on an average in six phases — from Tk 4 a unit to Tk 5.75 a unit over the last five years. According to the BERC, the power distribution agencies want another round of increases in retail prices from 12 per cent to 40 per cent even though the government hiked prices by 15 per cent on an average from September 1.
A team of BERC will meet the prime minister next week to discuss the issue, sources said.
After the formation of the new government following the January 5 election victory, this was Hasina’s first meeting with the top officials of the ministry, headed by the prime minister herself.
However, the prime minister refrained from taking any final decision about the crucial issue of coal policy in the meeting.
Rather, she preferred a go-slow policy, insisting that the decision on coal extraction could be delayed until the availability of a technology which will guarantee protection of the country’s agriculture and ecology while extracting coal, meeting sources said.
“The Phulbari Coal Mine Project is under scrutiny and the prime minister has directed officials to look into methods through which the country could avoid any sort of environmental risks,” Dr. Chowdhury said.
The prime minister asked the power divisional officials to examine the scope of taking lease of some coal fields abroad to meet the domestic demand to feed the coal- fired power projects in near future.
The prime minister also directed the Petrobangla to expedite the process to install the floating LNG terminal to feed the industries and power plants in the country.
Hasina also told the meeting to use pre-paid meter to stop misuse of gas in households.
The prime minister gave some directives to the officials to keep the present pace of the development projects including installation of LNG floating terminal, importing coal from abroad, expedite the tri-nation power grid project, renewable energy and energy conservation, examine the scope of using solar power in irrigation pumps and easy bikes and stop silica (sand) export.
“From now the Petrobangla will look after the LNG project,” PM directed.
According to the sources in the energy ministry, the fate of LNG project was hanging in balance in the last five years, as there
as a tussle between the energy ministry and Petrobangla over the implementation authority of the project.
“Prime minister also directed the officials to sign agreement with India, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar to establish a common power grid and a joint venture company to tap hydro electricity potential,” a senior official said.
Courtesy of The Independent
