70 pc people do not have access to electricity

This was revealed at a discussion on 'Energy scenario of Bangladesh: problems and critical issues' organised by the Notundhara, a social movement group, at the Public Library auditorium in the city yesterday.

The speakers said the power sector faces a very bleak future as the policy of the Power Development Board (PDB) has serious flaws and it did not made any effective effort to explore non-conventional sources of power generation.

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Moreover, inflow of external investment into the power sector is on the decline, they added.

Terming the energy system inefficient, former PDB chairman Nuruddin Mahmood Kamal said the PDB could not generate a single unit of additional power in last two years.

He also expressed doubts about the success of the government plan to provide electricity for all by 2020.

Too much dependence on the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund led to the stagnation in the power sector, the former chairman said.

Feroz M Hassan, chief organiser of the Notundhara, presented the keynote paper.

The total generation of power stands at 3200 to 3300 megawatt a year, but at least 40 percent of electricity is being pilfered under the cover of system loss, he said.

At present, the number of electricity subscribers is 69 lakh.

Hassan said the PDB has an expected production capacity of 3,420 MW and the independent power plants have 1,260 MW capacity. More than 90 percent power is generated using natural gas.

He said most power plants set up by the government have long passed the expiry date.

With its dilapidated transmission and distribution infrastructure, the PDB has incurred a loss of Tk 1,600 crore in last six years, he said.

Chairman of Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad Khaliquzzaman called on the government to formulate an integrated energy policy encompassing all possible sources of power generation as the proven reserve of natural gas will run out by 10 to 12 years.