The government has taken steps to ensure supply of 14,000-MW electricity during the upcoming irrigation season.
“We have instructed all concerned for completing necessary preparation to ensure supply of 14,000 MW power during the upcoming irrigation season,” State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said today (Sunday).
He chaired a coordination meeting on uninterrupted power supply virtually and said the demand for power is being increased during the irrigation season, adding, that “We must ensure timely supply of power.”
The meeting was also addressed, among others, by power division secretary Md Habibur Rahman, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) chairman Engineer Balayet Hossain, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) chairman Major General (retd) Moin Uddin, Petrobangla chairman ABM Abdul Fattah and Director General of Power Cell Engineer Mohammad Hossain.
Nasrul Hamid said the trend of electricity demand is being increased across the country due to irrigation season as well as summer.
According to the meeting, 1,550 mmcfd gas, 22,000 metric tons of furnace oil and 6,100 metric tons of diesel will be required to ensure supply of 14,000 MW power during the irrigation season in 2021.
It said 1,400 mmcfd gas, furnace oil and 700 metric tons of diesel will be needed for 10,700 MW in February, while 1,400 mmcfd gas, 12,900 metric tons furnace oil and 2,700 metric tons of diesel will be needed for 11,500 MW power in March. Besides, in April 13,500 MW power will needed and the demand in May rose to 14,000 MW electricity.
“The government is committed to ensure uninterrupted supply of fuel for irrigation across the country, as our farmers have kept wheels of the country’s economy moving during the global coronavirus epidemic,” Nasrul Hamid said, reports BSS.
The meeting information said the total irrigation connections rose to 4,46,607 that consumes 2,376.366 MW power in the current season, while 269 new applications having 1,793 MW load demand are awaiting for irrigation connection. In the last season, the number of irrigation connections were 4,28,471.
It said the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) transports about 84 percent of fuel by waterways, 9.0 per cent by railways and 7.0 per cent by road, reports BSS.
It added that the BPC has directed concerned to ensure the huge amount of fuel oil supply in time. Besides, a monitoring team of BPC will work to prevent anybody from collecting excess oil for irrigation.
