The power sector in the country is facing severe challenges as the ongoing dollar crisis disrupts coal imports and hampers the payment of furnace oil import bills. A recent meeting in the electricity department discussed ensuring uninterrupted power supply until the upcoming national elections in January. The estimated demand for dollars in the power sector from this month until January 2024 exceeds $5 billion. These funds are required to cover the bills for fuel oil and coal imports, electricity imports from India, and loan payments for the PDB and other agencies.
The meeting revealed that as of May 2023, there was an outstanding bill of $584 million for coal imports and $300 million for electricity imports from India. In addition to those amounts, this month alone requires approximately $613 million to cover furnace oil and coal import bills, electricity import bills, and loan installments for power plants. The following months also demand significant dollar amounts for various expenses, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the power sector.
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