Bangladesh continues subsidising-power

Bangladesh will continue to give up to 500 million taka ($7.3 million) in subsidies a month to the country's ailing electricity-sector, a senior official has said.

"We did send the proposal to the government to enhance power tariffs to reach a break-even point, but it was not approved considering the present sufferings of common people," A. S. M. Bazlul Haque, a director of the PDB, told Reuters.

Via Reuters

Bangladesh seeks Iran's cooperation

Bangladeshi Minister of Power, Energy and Natural Resources Tapan Chowdhury sought Iran's help in construction of a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

Related Link > Bangladesh Nuclear Power

According to Iran's embassy in Dhaka, Chowdhury in a meeting with Iran's Ambassador to Dhaka Hasan Farazandeh said regarding the need for permissions from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Bangladesh is looking for cooperation from states possessing the technology for production of electricity from nuclear power plants.

He said that Bangladesh's limited natural gas resources will run out by 2012, so it is necessary for the country to substitute fuel.

News via Irna

Bangladesh to generate 3,000 MW of power

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh aims to build 1,000 megawatts of power capacity in the next 18 months for about $1 billion.

"By the time we leave power to an elected government, we also want to ensure the country generates at least 3,000 MW of extra power to meet demand."

The government's energy adviser, Tapan Chowdhury, said the plan was to build another 2,000 MW after the turn of the decade.

Bangladesh gets $465 mln ADB power-loan

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh will get a $465 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance two new power plants to ease chronic electricity shortages that have sparked violent protests and hurt the country's economy.

"The program supports the government's goal of providing reliable electricity to the entire country by 2020, and will result into better and more affordable services to the public," said Pil-Bae Song, head of the project administration unit of ADB's South Asia Department.

Bangladesh can produce at best 3,000 MW electricity against demand of 5,000 MW and barely 30 percent of the country's 140 million people have access to electricity.

Bangladesh inflation hits high

Inflation in Bangladesh hit a record 8.28 percent in April, the highest in the past nine years. Economists attributed the rise in inflation to a recent hike of domestic fuel prices and to sharp increases in the cost of imports.

"Tackling inflation will be a big challenge for the government over the next fiscal year," said Zaid Bakht, Research Director of the state-run Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.

Bangladesh's military-backed government is to announce its new budget on Thursday, and analysts said it would include some measures to curb prices.

News via IHT

Bangladesh's inflation rising because of IMF

"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has often been the cause of economic misery for many countries, often returning with new proposals of loans to burden the people of a country.

There is no small or poor country in the third world, which has survived from IMF's inefficient advice". States Abu Ahmed, a Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka.

Bangladesh has been a subscriber of loans from this organisation from the Pakistan period. This is still the case.

In the 80's, the IMF advised pursued its policy in Bangladesh throught a re-structuring program, known as structural adjustment. Later on the organisation introduced different policies in various terms, with similar results.

Another concurrent advice of the IMF to governments is to withdraw subsidies. From this point, the organisation advises the Bangladeshi government to raise prices in the energy sector, who have in turn raised prices of petrol and electricity many times in recent years.

India eyes Bangladesh Power-sector

India is to build a large Power station in the eastern-region of Bangladesh. The proposed gas powered facility will power the Indian states famed as the Seven-Sisters.

After a proposed gas-export deal fell through, India is now hoping to utilise its current relation with the current administration in Bangladesh.