Power deficit to end within this year: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits a stall at an exhibition on solar home systems and biogas plants at Sandwip of Chittagong yesterday. Photo: PID
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government will be able to meet the country's demand of electricity within this year. The premier expressed the hope when she inaugurated 10 lakh solar home systems and 20,000 biogas plants here, installed under the auspices of state-owned Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL). Sheikh Hasina said, “We've already added 3,000MW of electricity to the national grid. I hope it would be possible to meet the demand of electricity within this year”. The country currently produces close to 5,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity everyday with almost no deficit. During the peak of summer, daily deficit may rise as high as 800MW. Hasina said the Awami League government in its previous term (1996-2001) formulated the national energy policy with emphasis on renewable energy alongside the traditional energy-based power generation. About different steps to increase power generation, she said the government has set targets to produce 7,000MW of power by 2013, 8,000MW by 2015, and 20,000MW by 2021. She said the present government has taken steps for coal-based and nuclear power generation alongside putting emphasis on renewable energies like solar and wind power. Besides, steps have also been taken to import power from neighboring India, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Nepal, she added. On renewable energy, Hasina said the government had exempted duty on import of solar power equipment, providing soft-term loans through IDCOL and subsidies. The IDCOL has financed to set up 10 lakh solar home systems since 2009, and the government has taken a programme to finance another 10 lakh solar home systems, she said. The premier directed the authorities concerned to make sure that the 10 lakh rural families connected to solar home systems get electricity facilities in due time. Hasina said the present government has also taken steps to reach clean energy to the doorsteps of common people through setting up biogas plants by the IDCOL. She said the IDCOL has so far set up 12,000 biogas plants since 2009 and has a target to install another 20,000 in the next one year. “The government is providing soft-term loans and subsidies to this end”. Through solar power and biogas programmes of the IDCOL, some 20,000 direct and 30,000 indirect employment opportunities have been created, she said. “Jobs for another 10,000 people would be created in the next one year”. The prime minister said that apart from these projects, the government has undertaken projects for solar-power based irrigation pumps and establishment of mini-grids. A mini-grid with a capacity of 100 kilowatts has been set up for the first time in Sandwip. Besides, work is underway to install solar power-based irrigation pumps in Naogaon, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Chittagong, Kushtia, Jhenidah, and Bogra, she said. The premier said the diesel-run mini-grids and irrigation pumps would be replaced gradually with solar powered irrigation pumps and mini-grids. Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr Afsarul Ameen, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Energy Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi, and ERD Secretary Iqbal Mahmood were also present on the occasion. Erlier, the prime minister had a meeting with the officials of the local administration.
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