The government has taken an initiative to supply uninterrupted gas and electricity to new industries only in industrial zones, while out of industrial zones, supply is uncertain.
A top official of the Power & Energy Division official while making the disclosure said, there are a lot of hassles for new electricity and gas connections in unplanned locations.
The government wants to take into account factories in industrial zones. Connection cost is higher due to set up of new infrastructure. Besides, there is anxiety of stealing and system loss. The major disadvantage is that it is difficult to measure the actual amount of gas and electricity. For this reason, it is sometimes difficult to provide uninterrupted gas and electricity.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid said, the government will ensure uninterrupted gas and electricity supply at affordable electricity price for the industrialists in schematic industrial zones. Out of these, the facility is uncertain in future. The minister called upon industrialists to invest in the Economic Zones. He said, ‘industrialists establish factories in unplanned ways overnight to destroy crops and tell me to supply gas and electricity, it’s so difficult.’
No gas and electricity will be available in this way. If anyone wants to take uninterrupted gas and electricity, he must build his factory in industrial areas’, he added.
Nasrul Hamid further said that by the year 2041 the power demand will reach 72,000 megawatts while the generation capacity will reach 79,500 megawatts. However, the country’s gas demand will be 10,000 mmcfd, of which 8000 mmcfd will be for industry. The government has also taken various types of initiatives to meet the demand.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that her government wants to establish 100 economic zones in the country. According to her directive, state-owned Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) was formed in 2010 to establish 100 economic zones by 2030. BEZA is endeavoring to establish Economic Zones in potential areas of the country with a view to encouraging rapid economic development through diversification of industries and augmentation of employment, production and export.
With that target, BEZA has till now got approval to establish 88 economic zones countrywide comprising 59 Government and 29 Private EZs. Feasibility studies, land acquisition and identifying area-specific social and environmental initiatives are underway for these approved EZs. However, seven private economic zones are now in operation in full swing, where 19 industries have been established.
On the other hand, there are around 80 BSCIC industrial parks under Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation for small and medium enterprises in the country where around 6,000 industries are available. Some new industrial parks are now underway.
