The government is planning a review of the power system master plan (PSMP) to pinpoint the electricity demand and the sources of energy to streamline the sector's growth in an efficient way.
The Power Division under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) already initiated its work on updating the PSMP of 2015, a senior Power Division official told the FE.
He said the overall projection of demand for electricity in future might be reviewed lower and the urgency of building a significant number of new coal-fired power plants might ease in the new PSMP.
The focus on building new LNG-fired power plants might be sharpened to ensure environment-friendly electricity generation.
Electricity generation from renewable energy sources might also get importance in the new PSMP, said the official.
Currently, the country's total electricity generation capacity is 17,685 megawatts (MW) from 127 power plants-gas-fired, oil-run, coal-fired and hydropower.
Under the PSMP-2015, the government has a target to generate 24,000 MW of electricity by 2024, 40,000MW by 2030 and 60,000 MW by 2041.
Around half the future power plants are supposed to run on coal under the existing PSMP.
Electricity generation costs at different power plants also vary significantly.
Sources said the electricity generation cost at gas-fired independent power producer (IPP) plants was below Tk 3.0 per unit (1 kilowatt-hour). The cost at a state-run gas-fired power plant was around Tk 3.0 per unit and at a gas-fired rental power plant around Tk 4.0 per unit.
The electricity generation cost at a government-owned furnace oil-fired power plant is Tk 13-16 per unit, at a rental or quick rental power plant Tk 9.5-13 per unit and at an IPP plant Tk 9.0-14 per unit.
The electricity generation cost at a state-owned diesel-fired power plant is Tk 15-32 per unit and at a diesel-fired rental power plant Tk 23-33 per unit.
Currently, the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is often keeping the country's overall electricity generation less than one-third of the installed capacity under a 'rationing' system owing to lower than expected demand in the outgoing winter season.
Many power plants were asked to suspend operations and some were kept under maintenance work, said a senior BPDB official, to cope with the lower electricity demand across the country.
According to the BPDB statistics, the countrywide electricity generation during the day-time off-peak hours on Wednesday (January 30, 2019) was only 3,894 megawatts (MW), just 22 per cent of the installed capacity of 17,685 MW.
Power generation during the evening peak hours on Wednesday was 6,317 MW. It was only 35.62 per cent of the total installed capacity.
Countrywide electricity generation during the evening peak hours on December 18 was 7,865 MW, just 44.47 per cent of the total installed capacity of 17,685 MW.
Power generation during the off-peak hours was 6,301 MW. It was only 35.62 per cent of the total installed capacity, according to the BPDB.
Despite many of the power plants remaining out of operation, the BPDB has been counting a capacity payment to them as they are ready to supply electricity.
The capacity payment is a sort of penalty, which the BPDB is bound to pay to the power plant owners, if the government fails to purchase a certain portion of the electricity readily available.
