Bangladesh begins one-hour recurring power outage Tuesday amid fuel crunch
ভয়েস অব বিডি
প্রকাশিত হয়েছে : ১৮ জুলাই ২০২২, ৯:৪৪ মিনিটBangladesh will begin one-hour rotating power blackouts daily on Tuesday as part of tough measures to save fuels amid the lingering energy crisis.
In the first week of the outages, authorities will monitor whether the nationwide blackout in the off-peak hours is enough or it is necessary for the peak hours from 5 pm to 11 pm, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said on Monday.
“I don’t think one hour of area-based load-shedding will cause a serious problem,” Nasrul said, adding that the government was prioritising uninterrupted supply to industrial and commercial customers.
“We must realise that all the countries across the globe are facing a fuel crisis somehow,” he said, referring to the Russia-Ukraine war that has pushed the global economy to the brink of a recession amid the recovery from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nasrul reiterated that the government is not thinking about raising fuel prices now. “Price adjustment is not a solution to the problem. We need to see how much [fuel] we need to save.”
During a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office earlier on Monday, the government decided to suspend power generation from diesel-run plants. Fuel stations will also be closed for a day every week.
Speaking to reporters at his office later, Nasrul said Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation will sit with the owners of the refuelling stations to finalise the decision on keeping them closed for a day every week.
He urged all to be frugal about using air-conditioners and turn the devices off at mosques after daily prayer sessions.
Gas accounts for 50.84 percent of power generation, furnace oil 27.69 percent, coal 7.89 percent, diesel 6 percent and others 7.58 percent, according to data released in July by the Power Development Board.
The new energy-saving policy is likely to create a shortfall of around 1,500 megawatts of power a day.
To offset the deficit, the authorities decided to ration electricity through scheduled power cuts for one hour a day. The new load shedding regime will start on Tuesday.
The other steps that are being considered include cutting down office hours, moderating the use of air conditioners and reducing the fuel consumption of vehicles.