Quit hiking power prices, cut fuel oil prices and set-up coal-based power plants, participants urged the government at a private sector round table on energy policy.
At the seminar, titled “Power System Development: Reliable Supply to Customers’ Perspective,” organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) in the city yesterday, DCCI former president Matiur Rahman called for reducing fuel oil prices and decreasing electricity prices.
In order to facilitate private sector investment in the power sector, incumbent DCCI President Hossain Khaled called for financing opportunities for investors at bank rates.
He said the government should opt for efficient load-based power plants and said solar panels should be set up in rivers and lakes to support irrigation, while freeing up land for cultivation.
Hossain said power generation from waste products could also be popularised.
Chief guest Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the prime minister’s adviser on power, energy and mineral resources, said the government was coping by importing power, but hoped to establish new power plants.
He said BCSIR researchers had been asked to explore solar cooking technology.
He suggested the private sector use coal-based back-up power plants at their factories and said the government recently passed the National Energy Research Institute Act and called upon DCCI to work with the newly-formed research body.
Prime Minister’s Office Principal Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, special guest at the seminar, called upon businessmen to move their operations to Export Processing Zones to get uninterrupted power supply and other benefits.
He called upon the business community to come forward to help set up economic zones in the private sector.
Former Power Development Board (PDB) chairman ASM Alamgir Kabir, PDB Chief Engineer Md Mizanur Rahman and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Chief Engineer Arun Kumar Saha presented keynote papers.
They said Bangladesh’s electricity demand would reach 18,445MW by 2021.
They stressed the need to ease tariffs, establish coal-based power plants, perform regular maintenance on existing infrastructure, and provide reliable power supply to customers.
