As part of celebrating the Mujib Year as a year of service, the Power Division is going to serve around 7 million extra hours without any additional payment from 17 March 2020 to 17 March 2021. Power Division, under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, has taken an initiative to work one hour more every day without any additional payment to celebrate the Mujib Year, the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
As a result, its 30,000 officials and employees will serve 6 lakh extra hours in a month and 72 lakh extra hours in a year, that means in the Mujib Year, which will also help further develop the power sector, an official said. Power Secretary Dr Sultan Ahmed told Bangladesh Post, ”We have taken various initiaves to observe Mujib Barsho. Of these, our officials and employees will do one hour additional work every day during the ’Mujib Barsho’. Currently, power divsion has 30,000 officials and employees. That means, we will serve extra 30,000 hours every day. I hope, it will accelarete the trend of development in power sector.”
He frutehr said that they want to ensure 100 percent electricity coverage accross the country by december this year besides enforcing zero tolerance policy against corruption in power sector to mark Mujib Barsho. The Power Division will confer ’Bangabandhu service excellence award’ to the best performing state-owned company or organisation under power division. ’Bangabandhu award’ will be given to the best power employees in every Upazila.
Besides, power division will arrange innovation competation to improve users service. A separate hot line will be indroduced to ensure proper service to electricity usres. “The country has witnessed an unprecedented development in the power sector in last one decade. And it has been possible due to the real-time sustainable planning and initiatives undertaken by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” Dr Sultan said.
According to Power Division, in 2009, the average power demand at that time was about 6,000 MW while power generation capacity of the country was less than 5000MW. Eight to ten hours load-shedding in summer days was causing unbearable miseries. Now the installed capacity has increased to 22,787 MW (with captive and imported, renewable power).
The highest power generation has risen to 12,893 MW (29 May 2019) from 3,268 MW (January 6, 2009). The number of power plants was 27, now 137. The access to electricity was 47 percent and now it is 96 percent. Number of electricity user was 1 crore 8 lakh which now has reached to 3 crore 62 lakh. The transmission and distribution system losses have been significantly reduced to 4.98 percent during the incumbent government’s tenure, from 14.33 percent.
The total transmission line has now increased to 12,073 circuit kilometers from 8,000 circuit kilometers and the distribution line has reached 5,57,000 kilometers from 2,60,000 kilometers. The present government has implemented various projects to set up coal based power plants as an alternative for natural gas. Some mega projects are being implemented at Paira, Moheshkhali and Matarbari classifying these areas as power hub. The first unit with 660MW capacity first mega project at Payra in Patuakhali of 1320MW has already started its operation and the second unit will come into operation this year.
The construction of 1,200MW coal-fired power plant at Matarbari is expected to go into operation by 2023. On the other hand, work is going on to set up a 1320 MW power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat. Besides, Rooppur Nuclear Power plant with two units, with the total capacity of 2,400 MW is under construction at Rooppur of Pabna. The construction work is going on fast. It would produce and be added to the national grid by 2023-2024.