Reducing REB electricity price under consideration of govt
November 30, 2008
Government is considering reducing the price of electricity supplied by Rural Electrification Board (REB) in order to adjust the rates between rural and urban areas. “Discussion is on to keep electricity price at the same level in rural and urban areas. Although REB is not hiking price of electricity, the government is considering reducing the REB electricity price. Specially we will attach the highest importance to continuing supply to the rural areas during rice harvesting period so that the villagers do not face power crisis,” talking to The Bangladesh Today PDB Chairman Shwakat Ali on Saturday said.
Replying to a query that many power based small industries grown up in the remote areas are not able to run their industries, the PDB Chairman denied the allegation and said, “We did receive any complains. It is not correct information.”
Businessmen who setup small industries at their respective villages, alleged their industries are facing an uphill task to maintain required output level due to random power failure. “As we had been assured of smooth supplying of electricity, we had set up power based small industries but most of the time we can not run our industries due to serious power shortage. Now it is not possible for us to continue our business.
Meanwhile, we have become the victims of electricity,” Golam Rabbani, a villager of Pabna district told over phone.
A high official of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) said as the winter has started setting in, power situation will improve gradually but power situation will taken a down turn in summer as the country will have to then experience about 2000MW of electricity shortfall due to inadequate generation by the Power Development Board (PDB).
“The farmers will be requested not to use electricity for irrigation during the peak hours. To free the country from frequent power outage, some power plants have been set up in Sylhet, Fenchuganj, Shahjibazar, Khulna and Bogra. Under the three-year short term projects, these power plants were set up. We hope more 200MW electricity will be added to the national power grid from these power plants,” the official said.
“The PDB has the capacity to generate 3900MW to 4000MW electricity against the demand for 5550MW during summer. On Saturday, PDB generated 3500MW against the demand for 4000MW. The country experienced 500MW short fall of electricity,” an official of PDB told The Bangladesh Today yesterday.
On the other hand, the capital and many other parts of the country have been gripped by a serious power crisis due to drastic fall in production and supply of electricity due to short supply of gas. On the other hand, many units of different power plants remained out of order as these units are being repaired, a source in the PDB said, adding although the PDB’s has many gas fired power plant across the country, these can not produce adequate power due to short supply of gas.
Earlier, the PDB Chairman had said the power situation will improve within the month of December as small power plants now under construction, will be able to generate 800MW to 900MW electricity but practically only 200MW of electricity is added to the national power grid. Meanwhile, people living at many places of country including six metropolitan cities have been expressing their utter disappointment over the serious crisis.
Source: The New Nation
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