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The shortfall in power supply is likely to be doubled in the next summer, reports UNB
Concerned authorities fear that load-shedding may increase from the current level of 700mw to 1500mw during the peak hours.
State Minister for Power Iqbal Hassan Mahmood gave this forecast portraying country's poor preparation for tackling the power-supply situation in the summer.
The minister's remarks came after his meeting with a joint delegation of the World Bank and its private financing wing International Finance Corporation (IFC) at his secretariat office Monday.
The industry-insiders expressed the fear that the country would normally face the highest ever load shedding -- between 1500mw and 1700mw -- in the coming summer as the demand will go up to 5000 MW against the availability of the same between 3400mw and 3500mw.
In the summer, mechanical breakdowns in power plants are common phenomena, leading to disruption in power supply.
The minister defended government position saying that the number of power consumers has increased by 0.7 million, a record rise in last four years.
"But power generation has not increased to match the demand," he said.
The World Bank-IFC delegation met the state minister to express their interest in investing in Bangladesh's ever-deficit power sector.
After the meeting, World Bank's Economic Advisor Mohindaer S Mudahar told reporters that this was for the first time that IFC came forward to invest in power sector here.
"We want to invest both in private and public sector power generation or in joint-venture projects," said Per Kjellhaug, regional representative of the IFC.
The state minister said the WB and the IFC showed their interest in financing the private 10MW to 30 MW small power projects and the barge- mounted power plants.
The government took up the projects to implement those on the first-track basis to get an immediate remedy to the nagging power crisis.
The state minister, however, said the projects might not be implemented within the next summer season as their bidding process could be delayed on the plea of inadequate preparation by the private investors.
He said the government would try to increase the power supply by overhauling some old plants.
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