Bangladesh acting to improve power supply

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who recently fired her energy minister, has ordered the immediate snapping of illegal electricity connections and the monitoring of the power sector by the army.
At a meeting of high officials soon after she assumed the energy ministry from retired general Nooruddin Khan, she also asked for "strong inter-agency co-ordination, proper load management and generation of additional electricity."
"A decision was also taken to redouble efforts for maintenance of power plants and their proper upkeeping," an official at Hasina's office said.
Hasina removed Khan in the wake of a long-running power shortage that has been affecting public life and economy. He had held the ministry since June 1996. "The Prime Minister was not happy with the overall performance of the power sector," one official said.
She was annoyed over the stealing of electricity through illegal connections and with the complicity of power department employees, said the official.
Bangladesh produces 1,650 MW of electricity daily, about 350 MW less than is needed, government officials said. The government recently signed agreements with foreign firms to set up 3 barge-mounted power plants, each with a generating capacity of 100 MW.
Hasina has already ordered troops to guard major power stations to prevent sabotage and ensure the smooth supply of electricity.
The monitoring cell, to be housed in the prime minister's office, will supervise round-the-clock the power situation across the country.
Hasina directed concerned officials and experts to see if generation capacity of existing power plants could be increased, officials said.
Business leaders earlier told the prime minister that foreign investors would be reluctant to stake their money in Bangladesh, despite the country's lucrative oil and gas sector, unless the power supply could be ensured.