Government is trying to manage enough power supply
The country will not be completely free from load shedding in the upcoming Ramadan and summer. There will be an average demand of 15,700 MW of electricity during Ramadan (March) and an average of 18,000 MW during the summer (April-May). The government is trying to supply electricity according to demand.
Due to various technical and financial crises, it will not be possible to supply all the electricity required during this period. There will be tolerable load shedding. But it will not be only in the villages. There will be a balance between urban and rural areas in load shedding. Load shedding may range from 700 to a maximum of 1,400 MW in the upcoming summer. This information was given by Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan, Advisor on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
The advisor made these remarks during a question-and-answer session with journalists at the end of an inter-ministerial meeting on power and energy supply during the upcoming Ramadan and irrigation season at the Bidyut Bhaban yesterday afternoon. The Energy Secretary, Chairman of the Power Development Board (PDB), Chairman of Petrobangla and officials from all the concerned departments were present at the time. The advisor said that the demand for electricity in summer has been estimated at 1800 MW. However, efforts will be made to keep load shedding free during Ramadan, he said.
Currently, there is a shortage of primary fuel in power generation. In this situation, what type of fuel is being emphasized to keep the country free of load shedding during Ramadan? When asked, the power advisor said that the primary fuel gas is being emphasized in power generation. We will import four additional cargoes of gas (LNG) to keep load shedding free during Ramadan. 900 million cubic feet of gas is currently being supplied for power generation. 1200 million cubic feet will be supplied for the month of Ramadan and 1100 million cubic feet of gas from April to September. This will increase power generation. He said that the demand for electricity increases mainly due to irrigation in summer. We want to provide electricity according to demand for irrigation. Otherwise, there will be a crisis in food security and agricultural management. This year, more emphasis will be placed on gas-based power generation than oil-based power plants, the advisor said.
Faozul Kabir Khan said, load shedding is necessary due to the initial energy problem. We held the first meeting to raise funds. We have received a promise of the amount of money needed during the fasting and summer seasons. The Ministry of Finance has promised to pay for the import of the amount of energy that will be needed during the fasting month. Later, we held a meeting with Bangladesh Bank and other public and private banks so that there is no shortage of foreign exchange to import energy.
Regarding the cause of load shedding, the power advisor said, load shedding will occur not due to financial reasons, but due to wastage. Load shedding will occur due to cooling load (AC load). He said, the amount of cooling load in summer is 6,000 MW. If we keep the AC temperature at 25/26, it will be possible to save 3,000 MW. He said, advertisements will be broadcast on television to raise public awareness about saving electricity. Load shedding occurs for various reasons. Instructions have been given to ensure that load shedding does not occur without technical reasons.
The advisor said, this time there will be no discrimination in load shedding. Load shedding will start from Dhaka. There will be equal load shedding in cities and villages. To a question whether it would be realistic to control the cooling load of ACs, he said, we will try to make people aware so that ACs are kept at a certain level.
In response to a question regarding the huge arrears in private sector power plants, the advisor said, so that the power supply of private plants does not have to be stopped, their arrears will also be paid. It may not be possible to do it completely.
To a question about whether Adani Power can reduce power supply if they do not pay the arrears it receives, the advisor said, we hope that they will supply power regularly during Ramadan and summer. We are trying to pay their arrears. Even if it is not paid in full, it will be paid partially.
After the interim government took office, two expert committees were formed in the power and energy sectors. Have the reports of those committees been received? To this question, the advisor said, the committee that is working to review the contracts of seven major power plants needs legal assistance. Work is underway on that. In addition, the committee for tariff revaluation has set a benchmark for the price of electricity for coal-based power plants. We have set the benchmark for the Matarbari coal-based power plant. The price per unit has been set at 8 taka 40 paisa. Now, the contracts signed with other power plants will be reevaluated based on this benchmark. To another question, he said, there is no obligation to close shops after 8 pm. Despite this, he requests everyone not to hold markets at night unless absolutely necessary. He said, although our power capacity is said to be 26 thousand megawatts, the actual capacity is like 18 thousand megawatts. Even then, we have given instructions to determine the actual capacity.
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