The government is going to undertake a fresh Tk 69.36-billion project to widen the electricity network in rural areas, on the back of a similar one that has largely failed to perform up to the mark, officials said.
To be implemented by the Rural Electrification Board of Bangladesh (BREB), the project aims to bring 1.5 million people under the coverage of electricity supply across the country, they said.
Recently, a meeting was held at the Planning Commission office on the project which will be placed before government's highest economic policymaking body - the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC)--for approval.
An official of the power ministry said the project will be implemented from January 2016 to December 2018. The BREB will implement the project.
Some 44,000-kilometre new distribution lines will be installed and 83 new power substations established under the multibillion-dollar project.
Besides, capacity of the existing 35 substations will be improved to connect the new consumers yet to see electric light.
The implementation tenure of the project has been reduced by one year. Earlier, the timeline was July 2015 to June 2019, according to a source concerned.
"The government has taken the move aiming to boost the county's rural economy, especially agriculture and industry," a high official of the ministry said.
He said the government wants electricity service to reach every house by 2021. Presently, more or less, 75 per cent people of the country have been brought under electricity coverage.
Currently, a project to connect 1.8 million new consumers across the country is being implemented by the state-owned Rural Electrification Board at a cost of Tk 64.25 billion, a REB official said.
The implementation tenure of the project was December 2015. But the project proceeds at a snail's pace, sources said.
Over 0.9 million connections out of 1.8 million had been provided until June last, the official mentioned.
The timeline of the project has been extended by two years to 2017 and some Tk 10 billion worth of additional funds have been allocated in favour of the project, according to an official concerned of the planning commission.
Senior official said the cost of the proposed project is higher than the previous project (1.8 million) and the reasons need to be incorporated into the revised DPP.
Secretary of the power division Monowar Islam could not be contacted despite several attempts.
Currently, Bangladesh produces nearly 400 megawatts of electricity from renewable energy sources out of total 11,000MW power generation from all types of power plants.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
