Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today told the Jatiya Sangsad that the government has undertaken various multipurpose projects for generating electricity to bring all citizens under the power coverage by 2021.
“We will be able to reach electricity to all households by 2021 through our coordinated programmes in the power and energy sector,” she said, while replying to a question from treasury bench member MA Hannan.
Sheikh Hasina said the government has undertaken various plans to achieve the electricity generation capacity up to 20,000 megawatt (MW) by 2021.
She said the electricity generation already reached 13,265 MW by now from only 3,268 MW in 2009, adding, “currently, country’s 70 per cent people have access to electricity.”
The Prime Minister informed the House that initiatives are now underway to construct 28 power plants with a capacity to generate 6,764 MW electricity, while 17 more plants having 4,799 MW capacity are ready for tender.
She said the government has also a plan to construct eight state-owned power plants with a generation capacity of 7,085 MW electricity.
“We have taken another plan to produce 11,170 MW coal fired electricity in the country,” Sheikh Hasina told the House.
She said that the number of beneficiaries having access to electricity rose to 11.68 crore now from 5.94 crore in 2006.
“The government has provided new power connections to 3,04,839 in the rural electrification areas only in May 2015 and the number of people with access to power is 18 lakh only in one month,” Sheikh Hasina added.
The BNP-Jamaat alliance government failed to produce electricity against the demand due to huge corruption, inexperience and lack of visionary and effective plans, she said.
“During their regime, the loadsheding rose to an intolerable stage, continuing 12/14 hours a day in some areas. Trade and business, agriculture along with lifestyle became miserable during the BNP-Jamaat regime,” Prime Minister said.
Replying to a supplementary question, Sheikh Hasina said the government has introduced prepaid meter to avoid ghost bill along with reducing unauthorized connections.
“We have produced 7,815 MW electricity, the highest level of generation in the country against the demand and constructed 70 power plants during the last regime,” she added.