Businesses seek smooth supplies of utilities

Businesspeople demanded Saturday that the government provide uninterrupted power and gas supply and reduce bank interest rate to help develop the power sector.
They were of the views that the uninterrupted supplies of power and gas are needed for the industries to ensure smooth production, which will help the country become a middle earner by 2021.  
They suggested affordable and reliable electricity for all aiming to boost the economic growth rate at 10 per cent to materialise the vision 2021.  
The observations came at a seminar on "Power System Development: Reliable Supply to Customers' Perspective" organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Affairs Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury was present as chief guest while Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Md. Abul Kalam Azad was also present as the special guest.
Former chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) ASM Alamgir Kabir, chief engineer of BPDB Md. Mizanur Rahman and general manager of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd. Arun Kumar Saha presented keynote papers.
They highlighted that demand of electricity in the country will reach up to 18,445 megawatt by 2021.
They also stressed the need for easing tariff structure, establishing coal-based power plants, operating regular maintenance and reliable supply to customers.
Dr Tawfiq-e- Elahi Chowdhury said the government has taken initiatives for ensuring power and gas supplies to the industries.
"We are trying to increase the number of sub-stations so that all areas in the country could get power," he said.
He said the government is working hard to establish new power plants as well as trying to import power from the neighbouring countries.
He said access to electricity is now over 70 per cent and the system loss in the power sector is now less than 10 per cent and it has been decreasing day by day.
He, however, said the government may not be able to allow captive power connection.
"We are going to form Energy Research Council," he said.
Dr Elahi said the government is discussing with Nepal for hydropower import.  
He called upon the researchers of BCSIR to do more research on how solar- based cooking system across the country could be done. He informed that the government has recently passed National Energy Research Institute Act.
He laid emphasis on public- private partnership for addressing the energy deficiency in the country.
Regarding exploring gas from the country's maritime boundary of Bay of Bengal he said the US oil giant Conocophilips is now engaged in three blocks in the exclusive economic zone of the Bay of Bengal for exploring oil and gas.
Principal Secretary, Prime Minister's Office Md. Abul Kalam Azad called upon the businessmen to establish their industries in the export processing zone (EPZ) to get uninterrupted power supply with other facilities.
President of DCCI Hossain Khaled said that over the last 10 years net energy demand has grown at an average compound annual rate of 8.1 per cent.
The power demand forecast shows that the demand for electricity will be growing at around 10 per cent over the next decades.
"We need to emphasise on the importance of power supply to the industrial areas since most of the rising industrial areas do not have dedicated power supply which directly affects the growth of our economy," he said.
"We (the business people) are ready to cooperate with the government for addressing power and gas shortages," he said.
DCCI's Senior Vice President Humayun Rashid gave vote of thanks to the seminar. DCCI's vice president Md. Shoaib Choudhury, directors Md. Sabur Khan, Kh. Atique-e-Rabbani, Muktar Hossain Chowdhury, Rizwan-ur Rahman, S Rumi Saifullah, Sameer Sattar former senior vice president Haider Ahmed Khan, FCA, former vice presidents  M Abu Hurairah, Absar Karim Chowdhury and secretary general AHM Rezaul Kabir, among others, were present.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com