Of the 153 power plants in the country, 49 are operating at capacity, which explains the ongoing power outages amid the searing summer heat.
With the country’s biggest power producer, Payra Power Plant, temporarily closing yesterday, the government is now looking at plants that are doing dry runs to ease load shedding.
As the current heatwave gets worse, the country’s power shortage shows no signs of improvement.
There was a time not so long ago when Bangladesh Film Development Corporation was abuzz with various activities -- from shooting films to dubbing and editing.
The budget almost halved the allocation for the energy sector and proposed a flat import duty of Tk 13.75 for each litre of 11 imported refined petroleum products instead of the current 15 percent VAT and 5 percent advance tax on import.
Power cuts are likely to increase in June as the dollar crisis, fuel shortage and maintenance work leave around 45 percent of the country’s power generation capacity unutilised at a time when the mercury is rising again.
Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd (KGDCL) has severed gas connection of a Regent Power plant in Chattogram as the plant owes it Tk 8 crore in bills.
Coal shortage has forced officials to shut down a 660 megawatt unit of Payra power plant on May 25, a first in its three years of operation, and if things stay as they are, the other unit of the plant will stop production in about a week.
Without conducting a proper study, Titas has said the average household gas consumption is a lot more than the estimation made by the energy regulator last year.
About one-third of the country’s total power generation capacity remains unutilised when people across the country are enduring mild and moderate heatwaves.
Petrobangla has prepared a draft of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for offshore gas exploration that improves the state-owned company’s bargaining position when it sits down for negotiation with global oil companies.
Bapex believes it has discovered a gas field at Ilisha union in Bhola.
Frequent power cuts outside the cities have been making people’s lives miserable for a week amid the heatwave.
Bangladesh has started to receive about 750 megawatts of electricity from the Adani power plant in India yesterday, putting to bed the suspense surrounding the start of the cross-border transmission.
The overall cost for transmitting electricity from the Adani power plant in Godda, Jharkhand is set to increase further as two projects meant for that end are eyeing cost and time revisions.
The government yesterday increased the electricity price by 5 percent, the third such hike this year, at a time when fuel and energy prices are on the decline around the world.
"It is a punishable offence to sign such a contract -- we believe that our agencies have the ability to identify the corruption in this deal"
Gain is for Gautam Adani and loss for Bangladesh: that is how the electricity purchase deal with the Indian business tycoon may turn out to be
At least $4.45 billion is needed in fuel costs to ensure adequate power supply from February to June, when demand is set to increase by more than 50 percent, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) estimates.
Bangladesh has sought a temporary discount from Adani Power on the price of coal that would fire the thermal power plant in Godda, Jharkhand in light of the escalating prices, said the Indian electricity producer.
Retailers are not following the fixed price of bottled liquified petroleum gas using the excuse of a supply crunch and a dated pricing method.
The government yesterday increased the electricity price once again by 5 percent at the retail level -- the second hike in 19 days as it steadily retracts subsidies from the power sector while piling the burden on common people already struggling with inflation.
Due to government interventions, the independent oversight of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission is being compromised, crippling its ability to ensure transparency in the sector, energy at a reasonable cost, and consumers’ interest protection.
The government yesterday raised the retail price of gas by 14.5 percent to 178.9 percent for industries, power plants and commercial establishments,
The government yesterday raised the electricity price for consumers, on average, by 5 percent, skirting around procedures of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).
Bangladesh wants deeper ties with India in energy and power sector to avoid future energy crisis, State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said yesterday.
Bangladesh will start getting electricity from India’s Adani Godda Power Plant in March, said Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for power, energy and mineral resources.
Despite the government’s commitment in the national plan to increase production of renewable energy, an investment proposal to produce 1,000 megawatts of solar power is waiting for approval at a time when the country is facing persistent power-cuts.
Though the ruling Awami League said it will hold its 22nd national council in a simple manner, yesterday’s scenario at Suhrawardy Udyan hinted at a huge gathering.
The prices of electricity, gas and diesel are set to increase one by one as the government pulls back the subsidies in keeping with the austerity measures.
Power import from the controversial Adani Godda power plant has been delayed once again as the 1,600 megawatts thermal plant is yet to be complete.
Electricity and gas prices can now be adjusted without a public hearing after the cabinet yesterday amended a law, paving the way for introducing dynamic energy pricing in Bangladesh.
The decision to increase the wholesale price of electricity by 19.92 per cent to Tk 6.20 per unit has raised concerns among businesses who say consumers may soon have to bear the added burden.
Electricity price at the producers’ end was yesterday hiked by 19.92 percent, a development that is expected to fuel inflation as the distributors ultimately pass on the burden to end users.
Even though the state minister for power assured that the bulk power price hike would not have any implication on consumers right away, a distributor has already submitted a proposal to increase retail electricity price.
The acute gas crisis, which has been plaguing the industrial sector and households, is unlikely to see a drastic improvement anytime soon.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs yesterday granted Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation permission to import 54 lakh tonnes of oil next year in a bid to secure supply of the key commodity amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and geopolitical tension.
Bangladesh could generate 6,500 megawatts of solar electricity in the next three years if the country invests $11 billion in solar instead of importing LNG from the spot market at the same cost, said global energy think-tank Ember.
People living in the capital’s Shyampur, Nandalalpur, Kajla or Matuail experienced load-shedding every alternate hour yesterday.
Three factors caused the national grid failure on October 4, found the probe body of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh.
Amid a deepening power crisis in the country, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission may hike the bulk electricity price tomorrow.
Power outages during the three-day weekend were so frequent that they prompted the state minister for power to speak about the extent of the problem yesterday.
Experts blame poor electricity transmission equipment, the lack of a smart grid, and the ill-equipped National Load Dispatch Centre for Tuesday’s national grid failure that caused power blackouts in half the country.
The country yesterday suffered the worst power outage in eight years, which, according to officials, was triggered by a trip at a substation in Ghorashal.
The government’s assurance of relief from power cuts within September is likely to fall flat as people in the capital and elsewhere continue to suffer frequent loadshedding in sweltering heat.
Food delivery platform foodpanda Bangladesh has imposed a “platform fee” of Tk 3 since August, payable on every order by the customer.
The government yesterday slashed the import duty on rice and is also working to import about 12 lakh tonnes of food grain including rice as it looks to rein in the price of the staple amid a cost of living crisis.
Of the 153 power plants in the country, 49 are operating at capacity, which explains the ongoing power outages amid the searing summer heat.
With the country’s biggest power producer, Payra Power Plant, temporarily closing yesterday, the government is now looking at plants that are doing dry runs to ease load shedding.
Nobody knows exactly when the power cuts will end
As the current heatwave gets worse, the country’s power shortage shows no signs of improvement.
There was a time not so long ago when Bangladesh Film Development Corporation was abuzz with various activities -- from shooting films to dubbing and editing.
The budget almost halved the allocation for the energy sector and proposed a flat import duty of Tk 13.75 for each litre of 11 imported refined petroleum products instead of the current 15 percent VAT and 5 percent advance tax on import.
Power cuts are likely to increase in June as the dollar crisis, fuel shortage and maintenance work leave around 45 percent of the country’s power generation capacity unutilised at a time when the mercury is rising again.
Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd (KGDCL) has severed gas connection of a Regent Power plant in Chattogram as the plant owes it Tk 8 crore in bills.
Coal shortage has forced officials to shut down a 660 megawatt unit of Payra power plant on May 25, a first in its three years of operation, and if things stay as they are, the other unit of the plant will stop production in about a week.
Without conducting a proper study, Titas has said the average household gas consumption is a lot more than the estimation made by the energy regulator last year.