Breaking News:

Experts say

Quick rental power plant suicidal for nat’l economy

. Staff Reporter
"Quick rental power plant is a suicidal for the nation's economy" said experts and demanded the reopening of all closed state-run power plants to boost sustainable electricity generation.
Launching of the new quick rental and rental power plants to add some 3,000 Megawatt (MW) electricity to the national grid at the cast of some Tk 20,000 crore will be a burden on our economy, Prof Anu Mohammad told The New Nation on Sunday.
"If the national power plants are repaired and refurnished as well as the gas wells are reactivated, people would get some 2,100 MW power at the cost of Tk 1,000 crore" he said.
Prof Anu, member secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port further said,"There would not be a need to import more oil or raise the price of gas and oil and the country's economy would not have to face trouble if the government had acted on their suggestion earlier."
Sources said the rental and quick rental power plants' owner have been receiving money for capacity building and subsidy in oil import but they are selling the generated electricity at higher prices.
As a results owners are getting USD 9 thousand to USD 30 thousand against each Megawatt electricity generation capacity though they are kept shut down.
A total of 12 rental and 15 quick rental power plants owners have received over Tk 2,697 crore in the 2010-2011 fiscal year as rent which stands at Tk 3,121 crore in the fiscal 2011-2012.
An extra pressure was created on forex-reserve during last two fiscal after making payments of import bill in foreign currency according to the agreement.
Power Ministry advisers to the Prime Minister has influenced the government's official for signing an unbalance deal with the owners of rental and quick rental power plants, said Engr Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah, convener of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power, and Ports. Due to import of old machineries violating the terms and conditions, the generation capacity of all the rental and quick rental power plants have been declined 20-40 percent but oil supply shortage, sources said was attributed to its cause.
Some rental power plants have failed to gear up power generation while oil of Tk 26 crore is supplied among the rental power plants everyday recently instead oil of Tk 15 crore, sources added.
During 2010-2011 fiscal year rental and quick rental power plants generated around 629 MW electricity though its generation capacity was around 2000MW. The rent has been paid up for 2000MW despite it generated only 629MW.
According to the agreement with Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) rental and quick rental power plants have received subsidized 217-218 milliliters oil but it showed 226 milliliters against per kilowatt electricity generation. Primarily the Power Development Board (PDB) has detected such 13 power plants.
Two separate investigations have started by PDB and Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) to find out the fact, PDB officials said.