Staff Reporter :
The Power Division has applied for government’s approval to import diesel for Power Development Board-owned power plants directly from international markets, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said on Wednesday.
“This year the Power Division has given gave an alternative proposal to the government to import diesel for the PDB-owned power plants directly from the global markets as it will save around Tk 3000 crore annually,” he said this in a post Eid greeting with journalists at his Secretariat office.
He added, “PDB also applied to Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) for power tariff hike for adjustment of power generation cost.”
If the PDB gets permission for diesel import for power plant then power generation price adjustment will not be required and cost of generation will be reasonable, Nasrul said.
BERC is scheduled to hold a public hearing from September 25 for bulk and retail electricity price hike. The hearing will be held at the TCB Bhaban in the city’s Karwan Bazar area. A BERC official, wishing not to be named, said: “All companies and agencies from the power sector have already submitted their proposals to BERC on electricity price hike. The hearing may continue for five days and the new price may come into effect from October this year.”
The gas price hike, which has already been made for twice in this year, has pushed up the necessity for holding the public hearing for electricity price, the official said.
On February 25, the PDB sent a proposal to the BERC to raise the power tariff at bulk level by Tk 0.72 per unit.
The PDB’s proposal says it is necessary to raise power tariff to Tk 5.59 from Tk 4.87 in the current fiscal year to bridge the loss gap.
“I do not find any reason behind raising the existing power price. The price of furnace oil, the primary fuel for power plants, has been reduced. Now, the fuel price is very low in the international market. So the government should decrease the fuel price,” said BUET Professor Samsul Alam, who is adviser of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh.
“Instead, I think power price will be reduced. So it will not be necessary to hike the price,” he added.
