Electricity distribution companies are likely to submit their respective proposals to raise retail power tariffs in the country.
According to a top-level source at the Power Division, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will submit its proposal to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) to increase retail power tariff on Sunday next while other distribution entities will submit their respective proposals for the next week, reports UNB.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid also said that the distribution entities are preparing their proposals to submit to the energy regulator seeking a substantial hike in the electricity tariff at the retail level.
He said, “Power distribution companies are now working to prepare their proposals…They are calculating the possible impact on any hike in the bulk tariff.”
BPDB sources said the government is expecting that the BERC will announce its decision on the review appeal on bulk tariff on any day in the next week.
The retail power tariff was last raised in March 2020 by BERC after holding a public hearing.
Through an announcement, the BERC had raised the power tariff on a weighted average of 5.3 per cent at retail and 8.4 per cent at wholesale levels with effect from March 1, 2020.
As per that decision, the retail power tariff was increased from Tk 6.77 to Tk 7.13 per unit (each kilowatt-hour) and Tk 4.77 to Tk 5.17 at the bulk level.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
