The government has already managed to procure26,620 tonnes of coal to meet the demand of power plants and to ease the power production. A Chinese-flagged ship, MV J Hai, carrying coal for the Rampal Thermal power station arrived on June 10.
This will improve electricity situation promptly. This has been possible through swift measures taken by the Prime Minister and other authorities concerned. It reflects the commitment of the government made to the people.
The closure of certain power plants due to coal shortages exacerbated the power supply crisis. The government responded promptly by importing coal to address the power deficit and increase production.
Acknowledging the critical situation, the government has made concerted efforts to curtail load shedding. Supply from India's Adani’s Godda power plant has been augmented, and the SS Power Plant owned by S Alam Group has commenced operations on a trial basis. As a result, the country experienced a load-shedding-free period from noon to afternoon on Friday, as confirmed by the electricity department. The alleviation of load shedding has been widely celebrated on social media platforms.
It is to be noted, the country has been facing severe load-shedding for weeks due to intense heat waves and fuel shortages. The dollar crisis is disrupting the import of gas, coal and fuel oil.
Due to heatwave, the electricity demand of the country exceeds 16000 megawatts. On the contrary, the average production was 12,000 to 13,000 megawatts.
To deal with the situation, the government took the initiative to increase the production of 15000 MW from the operational plants.
The recent gas crisis has also been addressed with positive developments. Gas supply has resumed from the abandoned gas well number 24 in Brahmanbaria’s Titas gas field. This has resulted in the addition of eight million cubic feet of gas per day to the national grid since Friday morning.
State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid, confirmed this progress and highlighted the continuous efforts of state institutions, including BAPEX, in enhancing the country's energy capacity.
The government’s prompt actions, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have demonstrated Bangladesh’s ability to overcome crises and ensure energy security. The reworking of the Titas-24 well by the state-owned company Bapex, following its abandonment for 45 days, stands as a testament to the country’s commitment to self-sufficiency.
Amidst concerns over onion prices reaching unprecedented levels, the government allowed onion imports to bring relief to consumers. Consequently, the retail market witnessed a significant drop in onion prices, with rates falling by Tk 25 to Tk 30 per kg in recent days. To further mitigate the situation, the Ministry of Agriculture authorized the import of 473,000 tonnes of onion by June 7, thereby substantially reducing the onion price.
Meanwhile, the government has allocated 100515 tonnes of rice under the VGF program on the occasion of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha. 1.51 crore VGF card holders will get 10 kg of rice each. Recently, a letter has been sent to all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) with this allocation from the Directorate of Disaster Management.
With these recent developments, stability is being restored in the face of power outages, onion price surge and gas crisis. The government’s dedication to the welfare of its people continue to reinforce its position.