The supplies of power and energy have been disrupted due to skyrocketing outstanding bills, which now stand at around USD$5 billion, raising concerns for policy makers.
The bills increased mostly during the deliberate internet blackout to suppress quota reform movement of students from July 15, 2024.
Two secretaries of the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources have already informed the matter to interim government chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus last Monday during meeting with the secretaries of 25 ministries under the chief advisor of the interim government.
Of the bills, it counted $1.2 billion for energy and mineral resources division and rest of $3.8 billion by power division under the ministry of power energy and mineral resources.
“The power sector has an outstanding bill of $3.8 billion or around Tk 450 billion now. It increased significantly recently over shut down of internet last month,” Power Division senior secretary Md Habibur Rahman told the Daily Sun on Wednesday.
Despite that, the power division will ensure uninterrupted supply of power, he informed to chief advisor of the interim government.
He, however, added the payment of outstanding bills will help us to ensure smooth supply as well as overcome from non defaulter.
Sources of the power division said, the government has yet to pay $750 million electricity bills Indian Adani. Subsequently, it reduced supply electricity to Bangladesh from dedicated lines.
The Indian Power Ministry allowed to Adani to sell it’s power locally from Adani’s Jharkhand power plant despite the plant installed to supply dedicated power to Bangladesh. But, power division concern yet to comment over the future of the supply electricity from the Jharkhand Power Plant.
Sources also said that the high amount of unpaid bills amounting $1.5 billion also forced local private power producers to reduce electricity generation.
According to Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), the dues were $1.55 billion in the public power generation sector.
However, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division also sought $1.2 billion outstanding bills from the Finance Division.
Energy and Mineral Resources Division secretary Nurul Alam said that the dues in the Energy Division totalled $1.2 billion so far. Of the dues, natural gas bills are $700 million and petroleum fuel bills are $500 million.
