More electricity

There is enough reason to believe that the demand would increase even after the 3000 extra megawatts are added to the national grid

In a bid to overcome the existing shortage of electricity supply the government has decided to increase the country’s power manufacturing capacity by as many as 3000Mega Watts. The extra megawatts will be generated sometime between next summer and winter of 2018, just prior the next national elections. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already approved the proposal. The Power Division too has already instructed the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to shortlist all interested companies in order to award the project to the premier bidder.

But are 3000MWs of enough for fulfilling the pre-election period national demand or not? Will the cost of electricity shoot up in line with future power plants?

The ratio between power generation and consumption in Bangladesh has been highly inconsistent. It was always the demand to have taken the upper hand. Moreover, according to the reliable sources of the power division, country suffered power outages amounting to some 3,000MW this summer. This has surprised the policymakers as the actual demand was much more than the calculated amount. What we all want to know - what the actual demand is and at what rate is it increasing?

The state minister for power is reported to have stated that the peak demand in summer of this year was 14,000 megawatts and it would be unquestionably much more by the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019. So there is enough reason to believe that the demand would increase even after the 3000 extra megawatts have been added.

Concerning the second, it happened many times in the past decade that whenever more power was generated the cost of electricity also went up with it.  Some of the BPDB experts have already stated that if fuel-based power plants are set up, per unit price of power would go up from Tk. 1 to Tk. 1.50.   

The point is - it is clear that the government is rushing to increase the existing manufacturing capacity for winning the next elections. Obviously, there is nothing wrong in it, but a crucial utility like electricity generation requires careful planning and time since it is associated with various types of costs, manufacturing options and growing demand. In the face of growing demand, the current government has proved a strong commitment in battling power outages but we would expect our lawmakers to consider its decision by taking more time and incorporating more experts in its decision making process. 

 

More electricity

There is enough reason to believe that the demand would increase even after the 3000 extra megawatts are added to the national grid

In a bid to overcome the existing shortage of electricity supply the government has decided to increase the countrys power manufacturing capacity by as many as 3000Mega Watts. The extra megawatts will be generated sometime between next summer and winter of 2018, just prior the next national elections. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already approved the proposal. The Power Division too has already instructed the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to shortlist all interested companies in order to award the project to the premier bidder. But are 3000MWs of enough for fulfilling the pre-election period national demand or not? Will the cost of electricity shoot up in line with future power plants? The ratio between power generation and consumption in Bangladesh has been highly inconsistent. It was always the demand to have taken the upper hand. Moreover, according to the reliable sources of the power division, country suffered power outages amounting to some 3,000MW this summer. This has surprised the policymakers as the actual demand was much more than the calculated amount. What we all want to know - what the actual demand is and at what rate is it increasing? The state minister for power is reported to have stated that the peak demand in summer of this year was 14,000 megawatts and it would be unquestionably much more by the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019. So there is enough reason to believe that the demand would increase even after the 3000 extra megawatts have been added. Concerning the second, it happened many times in the past decade that whenever more power was generated the cost of electricity also went up with it. Some of the BPDB experts have already stated that if fuel-based power plants are set up, per unit price of power would go up from Tk. 1 to Tk. 1.50. The point is - it is clear that the government is rushing to increase the existing manufacturing capacity for winning the next elections. Obviously, there is nothing wrong in it, but a crucial utility like electricity generation requires careful planning and time since it is associated with various types of costs, manufacturing options and growing demand. In the face of growing demand, the current government has proved a strong commitment in battling power outages but we would expect our lawmakers to consider its decision by taking more time and incorporating more experts in its decision making process.