Staff Reporter:
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) has urged industrialists to set up factories in designat-ed economic zones to get uninterrupted power and energy supply.
“Taking into account the importance of smooth graduation led transition of Bangladesh amidst the vola-tile geo-economic climate, we need to prioritize energy security strategy as energy is imperative to sus-tain the growth momentum,” DCCI President Barrister Md Sameer Sattar said on Saturday, according to a press release.
He was speaking at the Stakeholders’ Dialogue titled “Energy Strategy: Towards a Predictable Future” organized by DCCI at its auditorium.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, was present as chief guest while MD Shafiul Islam, MP, ex-FBCCI was present as special guest.
Sameer suggested investment in primary energy sourcing to enhance gas supply for stable energy supply. He also said fuel and production efficiency in state-owned power plants need to be ensured, the release said.
He urged for a predictable pricing policy so that the private sector can make necessary business planning ahead. Later he suggested a revision of the Power Sector Master Plan (PSMP) based on the future de-mand and energy supply sourcing mapping.
Government is planning to ensure uninterrupted gas for all industries as the country is going ahead to be a trillion dollar economy by the year 2040, said Nasrul.
Due to unplanned industrialization it becomes difficult for the government to provide gas to all indus-tries, he said.
He requested the industry owners to shift their industries in the economic zones to avail quality uninter-rupted gas supply. Regarding pricing of power and energy, he informed that gas price will be adjusted depending on international market price since the government is planning to reduce its subsidy especially in this sector.
A Pricing Policy is being prepared, he also informed.
Shafiul suggested the businessmen to be resilient. The private sector is one of the integral part of the stakeholder of this sector, that is why the policy has to be coordinated and consistent, he said.
“We need employment and for employment generation we need industrialization and for industrializa-tion we need uninterrupted power and energy supply. One is dependent on others,” he said.
Regarding inflation he said the whole world is suffering from inflation and “we are not an exception”. He later urged good governance and efficient use of energy for sustainability. He later requested the government to disconnect all unlawful connections immediately.
Faisal Karim Khan, director of Summit Power; Chairman and CEO of PRAN RFL Group Ahsan Khan, spoke at the dialogue, among others.
