Nasrul Hamid faces opposition heat in parliament
Opposition MPs in Parliament expressed their concerns on Tuesday regarding the potential public outrage arising from the increasing severity of load shedding.
In response, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid stated that he had already expressed regret and requested everyone's patience for a couple more weeks.
The ongoing issue of load shedding was discussed during the deliberation on the proposed cut motion demand for the Energy and Mineral Resources Division in the supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023.
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State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid requested the allocation of Tk32.46 crore for the current fiscal year, and ten members of parliament proposed cut motions on his demand. Six individuals participated in the discussion, while the rest were absent.
Jatiya Party Member of Parliament Fakhrul Imam highlighted the disparity between the country's electricity demand of 14,000 megawatts and the installed capacity of 26,000 megawatts, with current production at 7,000MW.
Another Jatiya Party MP, Shameem Haider Patwari, mentioned that around 1,500 megawatts of load shedding is currently occurring, attributing the shutdown of the Payra power plant to outstanding bill payments.
Patwari raised concerns about the remaining bill amounts despite people having already paid their bills, speculating that it could be related to capacity charges. He questioned the high magnitude of the capacity charge bill, the terms of the contract requiring capacity charges, and the lack of connection between power generation and transmission infrastructure.
Roshan Ara Mannan, a Jatiya Party MP, expressed concerns over the country's fuel security and electricity department. Kazi Firoz Rashid, another Jatiya Party MP, emphasized the adverse consequences of electricity shortages on the country's progress, agricultural production, and overall development.
He stressed the importance of importing coal or diesel to resolve the crisis and called for better coordination between ministries.
Rustam Ali Farazi criticized the lack of communication from the minister regarding the power outages and suggested reporting the matter through public hearings.
In response, State Minister Nasrul Hamid acknowledged the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase in commodity prices.
He explained that the country's current capacity allows for generating 20,000-22,000 megawatts of electricity at any given time, but fuel availability is a challenge due to global circumstances.
Hamid highlighted the government's efforts to provide uninterrupted power and energy despite the challenges. He mentioned the unpredictability of the world market and the need to save fuel and electricity.
The minister provided information that during the day, the country can generate 12,000 to 12,500 megawatts of electricity, which increases to 14,000 to 15,000 megawatts during peak hours in the evening. He also noted that currently, 2,500 megawatts of load shedding is occurring.
Addressing the context of the crisis, Nasrul Hamid acknowledged the delay in coal LC (Letter of Credit) due to global and economic factors.
