The new budget has allocated Tk 11,540 crore to the power and energy sector, a figure close to that of last year. But there is no allocation for the Rampal and the Matarbari power plant projects. As such, how the government’s future plan to increase the power generation will be achieved? Questioned energy experts.
Professor Anu Muhammad, Member-Secretary of the National committee to protect oil, gas, port and mineral resources, said, in order to give benefits to some private power plant owners, there is no allocation for new ones.
Though oil price is stable in the international markets, the finance minister gave indication of increasing fuel price in his budget speech on Thursday, he said.
BD Rahmatullah, former Chairman of Petrobangla, said, among the new schemes, the finance minister had allocated Tk 400 crore for an ambitious plan to produce 800 megawatts of electricity by next year using renewable energy. But that may not be possible.
Only a few countries have undertaken such a large renewable energy project, as it requires huge land compared with that of the conventional power plants. However, if such power plants were built, it would improve the country’s energy security and will supply power in the remotest areas, he said.
Professor Shamsul Alam said, the allocation for the sector in budget is seen as the weakness of power generation policy.
To achieve double-digit growth rate for the economy within seven years, the new budget continues to hammer the government’s old plan in order to massively expand the power sector using coal, nuclear, renewable and other sources.
However, most of these bold plans intended to take the nation to the next level of the economy do not have any specific allocation.
With a number of power projects already in progress, the finance minister on Thursday promised that by 2017 the country’s power generation capacity would shoot up to 18,162MW from the present 10,000MW (the actual electricity supply hovers around 7,200MW). A large chunk of this electricity comes from the private sector.
Most of this new electricity will generate from the coal-fired plants to reduce the burden on gas-burning electricity plants, which contribute the lion’s share of the electricity produced. More than a dozen, mostly large power projects, did not get any funds this year, including the Rampal 1,320MW plant being built by the India-Bangladesh Friendship power company.
