29 power stations to begin operation by December
Says BPC chairman
The chief of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation said here yesterday the government is already selling fuel at highly subsidised prices as business leaders claimed to have been spending huge money for alternative energy due to chronic power crisis and wanted fuel at subsidised rates.
The BPC purchases diesel at Tk 75.62 per litre while it sells the fuel at Tk 46 a litre, said Maj (retd) Moktadir Ali, chairman of the state-run organisation. He added the corporation sells furnace oil at Tk 42 a litre, though its purchase rate stands at Tk 60.71.
The BPC chairman said 29 power stations, with three in Chittagong, will start operating across the country by this December so that power demand is mitigated.
Moktadir Ali was speaking at a meeting with the leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters' Association (BGMEA) at its Chittagong regional office yesterday.
The BGMEA leaders said the garments factories in Chittagong have to spend Tk 1,350 crore a year on diesel for alternative energy.
They also alleged non-cooperation from the Power Development Board (PDB).
BGMEA First Vice-president Nasir Uddin Chowdhury said the RMG sector pays Tk 2,000 crore as "electricity charges" to the PDB annually, but the board officials do not respond to their call in emergencies. "Even the chief engineer of PDB does not receive my phone call despite frequent attempts", he said, adding that the PDB takes 15-20 days to replace a collapsed transformer, leaving power supply snapped to the industrial units.
The BGMEA leader said as RMG is an export-oriented sector, the factory owners cannot keep production shut and have to resort to generators, paying a lot for fuels. He asserted that the government institutions like PDB and BPC should classify RMG factories as important clients.
Addressing the meeting, State Minister for Power, Fuel, and Mineral Resources Brig Gen (retd) Enamul Hoque said Chittagong is a commercial hub of the country when RMG is the most important industrial sector; so RMG deserves priority for power and fuel supply.
Later, the state minister also talked in another meeting with the directors of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) at the conference room of the CCCI.
During the meeting, he assured the chamber leaders for all-out cooperation from his part in supplying power and gas on priority basis to the World Trade Centre (WTC), first of its kind in the country, which will open in the port city this December.
MA Latif, an Awami League lawmaker and also former president of the CCCI, said Chittagong should be given priority not for its sake, but also for the country's sake.
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