Asifur Rahman

The interim government must suspend the inefficient and costly power plants and renegotiate the capacity payment terms with the private power producers as the structure incentivises inefficiency, according to the report of the task force.

Protesters block roads, railways, leaving thousands stranded

Subsidies for the power sector are likely to balloon 83 percent this fiscal year as the interim government is planning to clear all arrears owed to private power producers.

Titas Gas’s system loss hit a decade high of 1,204 million cubic meters in fiscal 2023-24 -- enough to meet a month’s import bill of high-priced liquified natural gas (LNG).

Although the Awami League government made ambitious commitments to renewable energy before being ousted by a mass uprising in August last year, meeting those lofty goals remains a distant dream for the country.

Bangladesh has the highest per capita power subsidies among its four neighbouring countries, including India and Pakistan, despite having the second-lowest per capita consumption, according to an analysis by the Bangladesh Independent Power Producers Association (BIPPA).

India’s Adani power has asked Bangladesh Power Development Board to pay $845 million in arears by the end of June or face charges for late payment.

Government debt increased 13.3 percent last fiscal year to a record Tk 18.3 lakh crore, raising concerns about repayment amid the low revenue mobilisation.

The Bangladesh Independent Power Producers Association (BIPPA) has urged the government to clear half of its overdue payments, amounting to Tk 9,000 crore, within the next 10 days or contend with disruptions to the electricity supply during Ramadan.

Inadequate gas supply has been forcing Farzana Akter and Rabiul Islam to eat at restaurants every morning for two weeks.

Industrial and captive power connections would soon have to pay a much higher tariff for gas usage after the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources decided in principle to implement a new pricing structure to reflect the fluctuating global market.

In a landmark verdict, the High Court yesterday scrapped a part of the 15th amendment to the constitution that abolished the non-partisan caretaker government system.

Seven global oil and gas companies purchased tender documents for gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal, but none submitted the papers within the deadline, which ended yesterday.

Seven purchased tender documents, but none submitted papers finally

Captive power, which the industrial sector in Bangladesh leans on heavily, has been weakening the financial health of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) by costing it customers that pay the highest tariffs.

Summit has run into a payment dispute with Petrobangla over a $22 million bill for the four months its floating LNG terminal was out of commission as a result of damages from cyclone Remal.

A total of $234 billion was siphoned off from Bangladesh between 2009 and 2023, according to the white paper on the state of the economy.

It was a clear moonlit night. There was a slight breeze. An eerie quiet blanketed the streets.

Bangladesh has lost around $14 billion a year on average to capital flight during the Awami League’s 15-year tenure, according to the draft report of the committee preparing a white paper on the economy.

Jatiya Nagorik Committee has included a former top leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir in its extended central committee, ignoring objections from a section of committee members.