PDB owes Tk33,109cr to power companies
As of last April, PDB owes Tk10,391.43 crore to government power generation and transmission companies and Tk15,002.43 crore to private companies. Additionally, it owes Tk2,417.64 crore to power plants established through joint ventures.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) owes around Tk33,109 crore to public and private power generation companies, said State Minister to the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid, at the parliament on Tuesday (7 May).
As of last April, PDB owes Tk10,391.43 crore to government power generation and transmission companies and Tk15,002.43 crore to private companies. Additionally, it owes Tk2,417.64 crore to power plants established through joint ventures.
The state minister further noted that Tk5,297.47 crore is owed to companies, including Adani, for importing electricity from India.
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In response to a question from Awami League MP Mamunur Rashid, the state minister highlighted the information.
The state minister stated that the government recently paid off the debt of private power generation companies to the bank, amounting to Tk17,553 crore, through bonds.
Responding to another question, he mentioned that it has been challenging to generate power at full capacity due to the Ukraine-Russia war and the global energy crisis following the Covid-19 pandemic. Consequently, there is a temporary difficulty in maintaining uninterrupted power supply in some areas.
In response to a supplementary question from opposition chief whip Mujibul Haque, Nasrul Hamid said that there are some electricity issues in greater Mymensingh due to a lack of gas in the area. Two power stations in Jamalpur are currently closed.
Nasrul Hamid further mentioned that a tender has already been issued for the extraction of mineral resources in the deep sea, and 17 companies, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, have shown interest.
Regarding another question, he said that the current gas shortage is 500 million cubic feet. However, the government has not received any written complaints regarding industrial establishments experiencing gas shortages.
The government is striving to maintain uninterrupted gas supply to industries despite gas-related issues in households, including gas pressure problems, he added.
