Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The energy regulator is going to announce a fresh-hike in power tariff for bulk consumers next week to minimize losses through slashing subsidy on fuel oil.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) will also announce another hike in electricity tariff for retail consumers in April this year, BERC Chairman Syed Yusuf Hossain told reporters on Monday after a hearing on tariff-hike proposal by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
The BERC held the hearing at its Karwan Bazar headquarters in the capital Dhaka, following a BPDB proposal to raise bulk tariff by BDT 0.41 per unit as prices of petroleum products have gone up.
After hearing arguments from the BPDB and other stakeholders, the BERC chairman said per unit of electricity tariff at the bulk level can be hiked by a maximum of BDT 0.31 from the existing level of BDT 3.74.
"We'll also raise the power tariff at the retail or consumer level from first week of April," Mr Hossain said adding that it will however not be as high as that at the bulk level.
This will be the second hike this year and the fifth since the Awami League government took office in 2009.
The fresh increase will take the retail-level power tariff to BDT 5.61 per unit from its current of level BDT 5.35.
The retail tariff went up by BDT 0.31 a unit on February 1, taking the price to BDT 5.35. It came two months after the retail price soared by more than 15 percent per unit on December 1, 2011.
BBN/SSR/AD-20Mar12-10:10 am (BST)
