Anisul Islam Noor :Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission is set to begin public hearing on the proposed power price hike at both bulk and retail sectors from January 20, 2015. The new power tariff would come into effect from February 1, a BERC official said. The experts and rights groups, including national committee to protect oil and gas, strongly opposed the move because the oil price decreased by about 50 percent in the international markets. So, it is totally unethical to increase power tariff in the name of price adjustment.Professor Anu Muhammad said, the government has to eliminate corruption and system loss first, before taking final decision on tariff hike. Consumers will not pay for corruption and mismanagement, he added.Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal and Bangladesh Communist Party jointly appealed to BERC to stop the public hearing on power tariff hike issue. Both the parties said that hearing could be held on reducing price only. Meanwhile, the regulator has issued letters in this regard asking the stakeholders to attend the hearing. The five state-run power distribution agencies submitted their proposals to raise the retail price of electricity by17.45 per cent to 25.89 per cent though the Power Development Board suggested a hike in bulk electricity price by 18.12 per cent.The government initiated the move for raising power price after the BERC increased the price by Tk 0.40 per kilowatt hour or unit on an average with effect from March 1.The Awami League led government in its two consecutive terms already pursued the commission to increase the retail power prices by 63.56 per cent, increasing from Tk 3.76 a unit to Tk 6.15 on an average in seven phases since March 2010.The commission had also increased the bulk price of electricity by 98.31 per cent – from Tk 2.37 to Tk 4.70 a unit on an average in six phases between February 2011 and September 2012.Now the commission on January 20 will begin with the hearing on the proposal of Power Development Board for raising the price of bulk electricity by 18.12 per cent in which the distribution companies will buy electricity from PDB, according to the BERC notice.The next morning, it will hold the public hearing on the proposal of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh to raise the electricity transmission charge by about 71 per cent on an average.The commission on January 22 will hold public hearing on the proposals of retail tariff hike submitted by the distribution wing of PDB and Dhaka Power Distribution Company in their morning and afternoon session respectively.PDB wanted a 22 per cent hike while the DPDC favourd 17.85 per cent hike in retail power prices.The commission on January 25 will conclude the public hearing on the proposals of Rural Electrification Board and Dhaka Electric Supply Company.REB proposed a 25.89 per cent hike while the DESCO opined a 17.45 per cent.
