FE Report
Ninety per cent of the off-grid area would be covered under rural electrification facility by 2021 and more than 0.8 million applicants would be given connections soon.
This was disclosed by Brig Gen Moin Uddin, chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) at a discussion meeting at its headquarters Saturday.
The meeting was attended by the contractors, advisers, general managers and other field officers from across the country. State minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu was present as chief guest.
The discussants called for eradicating corruption in the BREB, reducing load shedding, giving new connections and upgrading the existing transmission and distribution (T&D) systems to a standard level.
The BREB was not getting the required electricity against its present demand for 3500 mw and unless they gat more electricity it would not be possible to expand the service and provide new connections, the BREB chairman said.
He said, "We are implementing new projects and we have also proposed some other projects that would help us give new power connections to the consumers."
He said, "The government is helping us and we are expanding new lines, installing sub stations and doing other infrastructure work."
The BREB chairman said: "As per Vision 2021we do have plans to create 16 million new subscribers, increase peak demand to 8500 megawatts, install 39 million kilometres of new lines and increase sub station capacity to at least 165 per cent."
According to REB estimation, till June 20, on an average, the deficit was more than 800 megawatts per day in the REB T&D systems.
The power and energy state minister in his speech said the government would fully meet the power demand in next three years.
He said after generation of more power new connections would be given and the government had taken steps to reduce corruption in the Rural Electrification Board.
In the discussion meeting it was decided that in the month of holy Ramadan and during the World Cup football the government would try its best to avoid loadshedding during, Iftar, Tarabih prayer and Sehri.
The minister said the government would provide new connections and increase generation.
He said if the ongoing and proposed projects were completed it would be possible to avoid loadshedding, provide new connections through the expanded T&D lines under new grid zones.
An REB official in the meeting said after installing 130 thousand kilometres of new lines it would be possible to provide new connections to six million customers.
It said the REB would seek more electricity from the government and as electricity generation was increasing it would not be any problem in getting more power.
