The government aims at reaching an electricity generation capacity of about 39,000MW by 2030 – of which 24,000MW by 2021 – under its Power System Master Plan.
“There will be no electricity shortage in the country by March 2014 as the government has already launched the master plan,” Finance Minister AMA Muhith said at a seminar at Bidyut Bhaban on Monday.
Under the master plan 19,500MW electricity is planned to be generated from domestic and imported coal; 8,850MW from domestic and imported liquefied natural gas; 3,500MW imported through regional grids; 4,000MW from nuclear plant; and 2,700MW from other sources such as oil, water and renewable energy sources.
“The maximum demand for electricity during last summer was around 7,500MW and the power generation capacity was expected to rise to 11,000MW” Muhith said at the seminar titled “Power System Master Plan 2010: Strategy towards 24,000MW by 2021” organised by the Power Division.
He said after assuming office the government had fixed the power generation target at 9,000MW by 2015, but the capacity had already risen above 10,000MW by 2013.
The finance minister informed the seminar that almost 70-80% power was now generated from gas, which was mounting pressure on fertiliser production. “So, we have taken up the plan to introduce LNG-fuelled power generation within the next two years.”
Md Mizanur Rahman, director of system planning at the Power Development Board, in his keynote paper said the demand for electricity in the country was increasing at a rate of 9-12% and to meet the growth, the power sector was facing challenges – mainly shortage of primary fuel supply from indigenous resources and in financing capital intensive power projects.
Towfiq-E- Elahi, energy affairs adviser to the prime minister, said the government had launched the quick and short-term plans in power generation and a marathon stage of production had begun now to fulfil the long-term demand of the country.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Muhammad Enamul Huq, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman AR Khan, Economic Relations Division Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan and Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, among others, also addressed the programme.