A state agency has urged the government to promptly decide on rental power or dual-fuel power plants to conserve foreign currency, as outlined in an evaluation report submitted to the Ministry of Finance for consideration in the national budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025.
The report primarily recommends the closure of these rental or dual-fuel power plants and suggests reducing duty rates at the production or import stage to maintain liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices at reasonable levels.
Sources from the Ministry of Finance and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) revealed that in the revised budget for the current fiscal year 2023-24, a subsidy of Tk 39,406.79 crore has been allocated for the power sector, with over Tk 32,000 crore estimated for capacity charges (rental payments) for power plants. Analysis shows that 81 percent of the subsidy allocated for the power sector is being spent on capacity charges.