Staff Reporter :
The technical evaluation committee of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Thursday recommended 7.83 per cent power tariff hike for the retail consumers of Power Development Board (PDB).
After effecting the recommended price, per unit electricity price would be Tk 7.47 on an average from the existing Tk 6.10.
The Director (Commercial) of PDB M Taslim Hossain said that if
power price is not raised then the PDB would suffer a loss about Tk 1158 crore annually. Earlier, the PDB has proposed to raise 22 per cent power price hike for the retail consumers.
BERC Chairman AR Khan, members Dr Selim Mahmud, Engineer Delwer Hossain, Rahman Murshed and Masudul Hoque received the hearing.
Different right groups’ activists, former members of BERC, energy and power sector experts, representatives from FBCCI, BGMEA, BKMEA, Bangladesh Re-rolling Mills Association and Energy Expert of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) were present.
They strongly opposed the move as the oil price decreased significantly in the international market. They urged to hold hearing for decreasing power tariff.
Professor Shamsul Alam of CAB said that the government allocated subsidy to generate electricity from furnace oil and diesel based power plants but most of oil run power plants were kept idle last year. BERC can press the government to adjust the subsidy which was not spent last year, he said.
In the same time, the technical committee denied power price hike proposal of Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) as the entity has already made a profit about Tk 81 crore.
The technical evaluation committee of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Thursday recommended 7.83 per cent power tariff hike for the retail consumers of Power Development Board (PDB).
After effecting the recommended price, per unit electricity price would be Tk 7.47 on an average from the existing Tk 6.10.
The Director (Commercial) of PDB M Taslim Hossain said that if
power price is not raised then the PDB would suffer a loss about Tk 1158 crore annually. Earlier, the PDB has proposed to raise 22 per cent power price hike for the retail consumers.
BERC Chairman AR Khan, members Dr Selim Mahmud, Engineer Delwer Hossain, Rahman Murshed and Masudul Hoque received the hearing.
Different right groups’ activists, former members of BERC, energy and power sector experts, representatives from FBCCI, BGMEA, BKMEA, Bangladesh Re-rolling Mills Association and Energy Expert of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) were present.
They strongly opposed the move as the oil price decreased significantly in the international market. They urged to hold hearing for decreasing power tariff.
Professor Shamsul Alam of CAB said that the government allocated subsidy to generate electricity from furnace oil and diesel based power plants but most of oil run power plants were kept idle last year. BERC can press the government to adjust the subsidy which was not spent last year, he said.
In the same time, the technical committee denied power price hike proposal of Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) as the entity has already made a profit about Tk 81 crore.
