Bill to allow govt adjust power, gas prices placed in JS

The amendment to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission act that empowers the government to adjust the gas and electricity tariffs without hearing has been placed in the parliament yesterday.

Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, placed the bill, which was then forwarded to the parliamentary standing committee on the power ministry for vetting.

The parliamentary watchdog has been asked to submit its report within five working days.

Earlier on January 5, Law Minister Anisul Huq placed the “Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (amendment) Ordinance, 2022” in the parliament.

The ordinance was proclaimed by President Abdul Hamid on December 1 last year, and on the same day, the law ministry issued a gazette announcing the amendment.

With the amendment to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Act 2003, the power ministry will be able to decide the new tariffs for gas and electricity without any hearing. Previously, it could revise the prices of fuel oil including diesel, octane, kerosene and petrol without any hearing.

Before the amendment, BERC adjusted the prices of gas and electricity through hearings.

BERC is an autonomous body that was established based on the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Act 2003 with the view to improving the power and energy infrastructure in the country. The law was amended thrice in the past.

Deploying the ordinance, the power ministry has so far increased the price of electricity at the consumers’ end by 5 percent and the hiked the gas tariffs for industries and power plants by 14.5 percent to 178.8 percent.

The cabinet on November 28 last year approved the BERC Ordinance 2022 to empower the government to set fuel tariffs on its own under special circumstances without waiting for the commission’s public hearing and decision.