The government has projected that Bangladesh will face 15,500 megawatt of electricity demand during the country’s largest four months boro paddy cultivation period starting from February 2022.
The demand of electricity also projected for hot summer too.
Of the demand, only the boro irrigation will need 2375MW of electricity in the current fiscal year which is 60MW higher than the previous year, officials said.
According to Power Division officials, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will need 1600mmcfd (million cubic feet of natural gas), 70,500 metric tonnes of furnace oil and 30,700 metric tonnes of diesel to produce the projected target of electricity.
In an inter-ministerial meeting on Sunday, State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said the government will ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to irrigation.
He asked the concerned divisions for ensuring energy and fuel supply to power plants so that it helps to ensure uniterrupted supply of electricity.
He also asked the power transmission and distribution companies to renovate the overloaded transmission and distribution lines.
The minister also directed the officials concerned to maintain the power plants before the start of irrigation period.
Bangladesh Power Development Board expressed concerns over the inadequate supply of natural gas to power plants. It may hamper to achieve the electricity generation target during boro cultivation.
Besides, Petrobangla officials said they will hold the coordination meeting with the power development board to manage the natural gas supply to different consumer end properly.
The ministry of agriculture has set a target of 38.4-million tonnes of rice output for fiscal year 2022.
Power Division secretary Md Habibur Rahman, PDB chairman Engineer Balayet Hossain, Petrobangla chairman Nazmul Ahsan and Power sell director general Mohammed Hossain also attended the meeting.