For the privileged

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Mahmudur RahmanIt's a pity how some of the better and more cheerful pieces of news never make the headlines. Take for example a recent and apparently innocuous decision of the energy regulatory commission. They have announced that the days of load shedding are apparently over for those who can afford it. The key word obviously, is 'those who can afford it'. The commission is offering uninterrupted power from a separate grid for those among us who are willing to fork out the astronomical rate of Tk 13 per kilowatt. Compare that to the existing prices and it raises eyebrows but then there are a cumulative number who might just jump at the opportunity. One real estate developer, out of many that are suffering from not having buyers take possession of their apartments because there is now power connection suggests that at that rate it would be cheaper to buy a full-load generator. Be that as it may the proposition is interesting. Domestic consumers who have the wherewithal might just want to pay more for the luxury of continuous power. Industries might not agree as that would take the cost of production above viable levels. But what is important is that there is now a choice available. For quite some time the energy regulatory commission has struggled with the continuous demand of the Power Development Board (PDB) and others to raise the price of electricity to meet the cost of producing it and thereby reducing the subsidy payable. In the near future, electricity prices will have to go up even further due to the high cost of production by the fuel dependent power plants. According to some, there are quite a few of these plants ready to come on line but await the expected supply of fuel that the government will have to import at escalating international costs. The key of course has to be the total quantum of electricity generation versus the demand. According to last estimates, the demand still outstripped production and that isn't going to change too soon. If power were to be diverted to a separate dedicated grid, what would happen to the already irritatingly frustrating situation with regard to power? The commission must have thought this through before taking the decision and must have statistics to back it all up. For the time being those denied power will have to wait until the more ambitious plans such as power from India and Nepal come through. In the world of innovation it is surprising that the power generation sector isn't coming up with any innovations that might help to assuage, if not totally solve, the problem. (The writer can be reached at mahmudrahman@gmail.com)