State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid yesterday said the power sector is set to face seven challenges in the coming days, reports UNB. The challenges are primary fuel, skilled manpower, service enhancement, reduction of field-level corruption, make renewable energy popular, implementation of projects in due time and ensuring investment in the sector.
The junior minister talked about the challenges in Parliament while taking part in general discussion on the budget proposed for the next fiscal year.
Nasrul said the government has planned to set up four floating regasification units, and is going to set up three land-based LNG Terminal to ensure primary fuel in the country.
“We’ve already started building the coal-based terminal,” he told the House adding that the government wants to reach LPG cylinder to each door. Aiming to create skilled manpower, Nasrul said, the government wants to introduce a curriculum on power and energy. “This course is also absent at the university level, but we need enough electrical mining engineers,” he said.
About the improvement of service and reducing corruption, the state minister said the transmission and distribution payment gateway should be privatised, while distribution companies should be service oriented. He also opted for automation of all the systems through call centre Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA). “With these, we’ll be able to get rid of the corruption to a great extent.”
Laying emphasis on renewable energy, he said the future world will be the world of renewable energy.
“We’ll have to improve our awareness a lot to step into that place… .we’ll have to improve our domestic capability and the government is working to ensure the process to provide renewable energy at a cheaper rate,” the state minister said.
Welcoming the proposed budget for the next fiscal, Nasrul said the duty reduction on the hybrid cars will help the government a lot to ease its pressure on fuel import.