REB proposes 23.04pc rise in power tariff for irrigation

Rural Electrification Board (REB) has proposed 23.04 per cent increase in the electricity tariff for irrigation. As per the REB proposal, tariff of each unit of electricity for irrigation will go up to Tk 4.70 from existing Tk 3.39-Tk 3.96. The overall power tariff of REB was proposed to be raised by average 12.58 per cent. The proposal was placed by the organisation, entrusted with distribution of electricity in the rural areas, at the public hearing of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) which concluded its 3-day hearing on Thursday. Making a presentation in favour of the tariff-hike proposal, the REB chairman Brig Gen Moin Uddin said the operation cost of his organisation has increased to a great extent because of old transmission lines that resulted in huge system loss. “Unless the (power) tariff is enhanced, REB can't go for taking up new development projects to improve its system,” he said at the public hearing. However, the technical evaluation committee of BERC did not find any logic for huge rise in the REB tariff. Analysing the REB proposal, it recommended only a 3.48-per cent increase in the average tariff, according to a news agency.