Today, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid announced that in an effort to reduce government support for the industry, the government has decided to raise power tariffs starting of February 1.
Although the selling price of electricity is only Tk. 7, the average cost per unit is Tk. 12. In the conference room of his ministry, he informed the journalists that the government provides an annual subsidy of Tk. 43,000 crore.
The state minister promised that a gazette notice would follow shortly.
He said that price of electricity usually fluctuates depending on the fuel price globally, adding, “So, we have to synchronize with that, there is no other way. We are going to adjust a very small amount of power tariff that is 34 paisa…. There are 1.40 crore life line customers. They pay bill at Tk. 4 (per unit), those who are above, are charged Tk. 7. But on an average our production cost is Tk. 12 per unit.”
According to Nasrul Hamid, there would be a 34 paisa price increase for consumers who consume up to 50 units. The increase for users who consume more beyond 50 units will be between 34 and 70 paisa per unit.
According to him, fuel prices in Bangladesh will rise in response to global increases, and they will fall in response to global declines.
Nasrul Hamid said the dynamic price system will be done in the first week of every month, adding, “Our neighbouring countries do this every day. For example, if we talk about Kolkata, the price of one liter diesel is Tk. 133, but its price in our country is Tk. 109.”
