PDB asked to ensure undisrupted power for irrigation

FE Team | Published: November 26, 2009 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

The Power Ministry has asked the Power Development Board (PDB) to supply undisrupted power through diversion of electricity from urban areas to rural areas for irrigation to help reach current Boro cultivation yield target of 19.0 million (1.9 crore) tonnes.
"Food production is our priority and the government will do everything necessary to ensure the yield," Prime Minister's adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said at a press briefing Wednesday at his secretariat office. However, the target of Boro cultivation yield is 0.5 million tonnes more than that of the previous year.
Following an inter-ministerial meeting with the ministry of agriculture, energy and power and BIWTA authority, the adviser announced the government decision and sought media support in this regard.
According to the agricultural ministry, to feed the irrigation pumps, it estimated a 1664 MW of electricity is needed to meet the requirement of 2,46,000 electricity driven pumps, which is more than 100 MW compared to that of the previous year.
The growth demand of electricity in agriculture is 8 to 9 per cent on an average. However, the total number of irrigation pumps is more than 0.8 million.
"To produce more food-grain we need to feed our farmers through supplying uninterrupted electricity and diesel at subsidised rate so why we have to give priority to our rural consumers from this month", Tawfiq said.
SM Alamgir Kabir, PDB Chairman said that PDB could add 600 to 700 MW of electricity into the grid by December. At present the country is producing around 3700 MW to 3800 MW electricity, And the demand of grater Dhaka (including DPDC, DESCO, and some REB's areas) are 2300 MW. The Demand of REB and WZPDCO is around 1400 MW.
"We get 50 MW from Chittagong rental power plant, 90 MW from Fenchuganj power plant and another 50 MW from Khulna rental power plant, another 230 MW will come from Shiddhirganj, and hopefully we get 230 MW from the new rental power projects during the irrigation season", he added.