Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, has said that there is no shortage of electricity in the country according to demand.
He made this statement on Thursday while responding to a starred question from Dhaka-18 constituency Member of Parliament S M Jahangir Hossain during a session of the National Parliament.
The minister said that during the summer peak demand period, power disruptions may occasionally occur due to shortages of primary fuel, limitations in transmission and distribution infrastructure, maintenance activities at power plants, and adverse weather conditions such as storms and rain. During such times, it may not always be possible to supply electricity in line with demand.
He added that electricity demand is steadily increasing. To meet this growing demand and eliminate load shedding, the government has undertaken various initiatives and plans. These include formulating a 180-day action plan to implement the government’s election manifesto, adopting and executing short-, medium-, and long-term power generation plans, and upgrading transmission and distribution infrastructure in coordination with production.
To address the demand for primary fuel in power generation, emphasis is being placed on fuel diversification and increasing electricity generation from renewable energy sources, he said.
The minister also informed Parliament that energy audit programs have been launched at selected consumer facilities to improve energy efficiency. In the first phase, such activities are currently underway at 74 establishments in Mymensingh, Ghorashal, and Narayanganj.
To strengthen energy audits in the industrial and commercial sectors, 42 certified energy auditors and 178 certified energy managers have already been developed. Efforts to build such skilled manpower are ongoing, he added.