Bangladesh to add 16,000 MW to grid by 2016

Bangladesh will add 15,000-MW electricity would be added to the national grid by 2016 through using liquid fuel, coal, duel fuel and renewable energy.

It is part of the short, middle and long-term plans the government of Bangladesh has undertaken to make the country self- reliant in electricity generation including fulfilling the power shortage.

"Various steps have been taken up to implement these plans," State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad Enamul Haque in reply to a question from treasury bench member Kazi Keramat Ali.

Considering the gas crisis, he added, gas-based power plants would be set up to raise electricity generation.

The state minister said that agreements were signed for construction of 41 power plants with a capacity of 4504-MW electricity at public and private levels from January 2009 to May 2011.

Of those, 10 power plants with a capacity of 835-MW electricity have gone into production, while 31 power plants with a capacity of 3669-MW electricity are under construction.

If these plans are executed on time, he said, the intensity of loadshedding would reduce gradually from 2011 and the power production would exceed the demand at the end of 2012.

The state minister expressed the hope that it would be possible to distribute electricity as per the demand by 2013.