M AZIZUR RAHMAN:
The country’s overall electricity generation capacity increased 1,015 megawatts (MW) or 5.18 per cent during the outgoing calendar year (2020) to reach 20,595 MW in total.
Four new power plants were added to the national grid during the year, including the Payra 660-MW coal-fired power plants, totalling the number of operational power plants, of both public and private sectors, to 140 from the previous year’s 136.
During the previous calendar year (2019), the country’s overall electricity generation was increased by 1,895 MW to reach 19,580 MW in total, when nine new power plants came online.
However, the overall electricity consumption was around half of the total generation capacity due to lower-than-projected demand during the past couple of years.
During winter, the overall electricity consumption fell to almost one-third of the total generation capacity, according to statistics of the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
The country’s overall electricity consumption during daytime peak hour was 7,160 MW and during evening peak hour was 8,816 MW against the overall generation capacity of 20,595 MW as on December 15, 2020, according to the BPDB.
On December 31, 2019, the country’s overall electricity consumption during daytime peak hour was 6,700 MW and during evening peak hour was 8,667 MW against the overall generation capacity of 19,580 MW.
The overall electricity consumption during daytime peak hour was 5,748 MW and during evening peak hour was 7,542 MW against the country’s overall generation capacity of 17,685 MW on December 31, 2018.
The global coronavirus pandemic along with resultant dented demand of electricity and natural gas was a big blow to the overall electricity consumption. The situation reportedly reduced around 4,000 MW of electricity consumption across the country, according to a senior official.
According to the BPDB, all diesel-fired power plants, having the total generation capacity of 1,140 MW, and a good number of furnace oil-fired ones were shut during the scorching summer in June due to demand fall during the pandemic.
The BPDB then asked the power plant owners to keep majority of the oil-fired plants shut to save the entity from counting a huge payment for electricity purchase.
The board, however, had to count capacity payment, which it will have to pay to the power plant owners under a contractual obligation as ‘incentives’ for keeping their plants idle.
Electricity generation across the country fell by around 33 per cent on an average to around 6,000 MW due to demand fall. Most of the industries, offices and businesses were shut to check spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tariff hiked
To cope with the rising cost of electricity generation, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) hiked electricity tariff both in retail and bulk levels in this February.
The hike became effective from March 1 after public hearing, despite strong oppositions from rights groups and different political parties.
The energy regulator raised the average electricity tariff in retail level by 5.3 per cent or Tk 0.36 to Tk 7.13 per unit (1 kilowatt-hour) from the previous Tk 6.77 per unit.
The commission increased the bulk or wholesale level electricity tariff by 8.40 per cent or Tk 0.40 to Tk 5.17 per unit from the previous Tk 4.77 per unit on an average.
Exorbitant bill
A good number of electricity consumers across the country allegedly received exorbitant bills during the nationwide shutdown from late March to May this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some alleged that their electricity bills were almost double than the previous month, and much higher than actual consumption and expected amount.
Some others alleged that they got inflated electricity bills even without consuming any electricity.
As a consequence, the Power Division constituted a taskforce, which recommended punitive measures against those involved in providing ‘inflated’ electricity bills to consumers.
The state-run Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) temporarily suspended four of its engineers and served show-cause notices to 36 others.
The Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO) suspended two meter readers, and issued cautionary letter to eight others.
The West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDC) issued show-cause notices against 223 meter readers, and the Northern Electricity Supply Company Ltd (NESCO) suspended two of its meter readers.
The state-run power distribution companies, however, did not impose any late payment surcharge on electricity bill payments for four months from March to May, in line with the BERC order, to appease the consumers’ grievances.
‘Amphan’ onslaught
Due to the onslaught of super cyclone ‘Amphan’ in May this year, some 22 million electricity consumers across the country were affected and equipment worth Tk 600 million were reportedly damaged.
The BERC empowered to make tariff change more than once in a year
In this November, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (Amendment) Bill 2020 was passed in national parliament, empowering the regulator to bring change in tariff more than once in a year.
The bill said energy prices change in the international market continuously, and the government needs to adjust the prices in the local market accordingly. That is why the amendment was proposed.
When contacted, energy advisor of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Professor M Shamsul Alam alleged that the BERC failed to execute its due role during the outgoing calendar year.
“We, the consumers, had to move to court several times to protect our rights to get electricity at affordable and justified prices.”
“Cost rationalisation through cutting ‘illogical’ and ‘unfair’ costs of power and energy sectors was our target,” Mr Alam also said.
But the target is yet to be achieved, he added.
Azizjst@yahoo.com