Like last year, this year too there is uncertainty regarding fuel supply. Involves the use of gas in producing electricity at low cost. The demand for gas in the power sector is about 2.32 billion sft. Last year the maximum supply of gas was 1.30 billion cft. The current supply is 850 million cft. The PDB called for at least 1.5 billion cft per day this summer. Petrobangla sources say that there is less scope for increasing gas supply since last year. This means that this time the maximum production from gas can be around 6,500 MW. Presently the generation capacity remains around 11,000 MW. Outside that, power is being supplied on a trial basis from two gas-fired plants. The capacity of both of them is more than 1000 MW.
Last year, more than 5,500 MW of electricity was generated from fuel oil. PDB wants to produce 4,500 MW to 5000 MW this time. The fuel oil has a capacity of 7,300 MW. Steps have been taken to pay the outstanding dues on power plants. The central bank has meanwhile issued bonds worth Tk 120 billion. Dues of private sector power plants amount to Tk 150 billion. This debt and dollar pressure could hinder imports of fuel oil for power plants.
Coal-fired power plants have created the most opportunities this time. Last year the capacity to generate electricity from coal was 2,692 MW. But due to dollar crisis coal could not be imported. Two large power plants, Payra and Rampal, had to be shut down twice. Coal-based capacity, including Adani's power plants, has reached about 6,000 MW. Coal is cheap in the global market, but it is not possible to increase electricity production from coal. Bills are overdue in most coal based power plants.
Sources at the power plant say that the bill of about 90 billion taka is outstanding on the 1,320 MW Payra power plant in Patuakhali. This is the reason that despite there being a provision for six months delay in the coal bill, they are not able to pay the coal regularly. Foreign coal companies are sending letters requesting to pay the bill along with interest. No bill has been paid to Banshkhali power plant in Chattogram till date.
