Public Hearing on Electricity Price Hike in January

Recently, six electricity distribution companies in the country have submitted proposals to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission-BERC regarding price increases at the consumer level. Based on their proposal, the commission will hold a public hearing on January 8 and 9.

The hearing will be held at Shaheed AKM Shamsul Haque Khan Auditorium of Beam Foundation in the capital from 10 am to 5 pm on January 8 and 9.

According to the notification issued by BERC, as per Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Act, 2003 and Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Electricity Distribution (Retail) Tariff Regulations, 2016, Bangladesh Electricity Development Board (BPDB), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB ), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited ( DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (DESCO), West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL) and Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) have submitted proposals/applications to the Commission for revision of retail electricity tariffs. Those proposals/applications have already been accepted by the Commission as per the recommendation of the Technical Evaluation Committee constituted through the concerned Commission for further action.

According to the commission, the persons, institutions or organizations interested in the hearing have been requested to send their pre-hearing written statements/opinions to the commission by January 1. BERC has also requested the Commission to register its names to participate in the hearing.

The notification also mentions that the listed person, institution, or organization can present analytical data and related documents regarding the proposal/application for revision of the electricity retail tariff of BPDB, BREB, DPDC, DESCO, WZPDCL, and NESCO in the hearing held on the said date.

According to the commission, a hearing will be held on January 8 on the prices proposed by BPDB, BREB, DPDC, DESCO, WZPDCL, and NESCO. If the hearing cannot be completed in one day, the hearing will be continued on January 9 if necessary.

Incidentally, on November 21, wholesale electricity prices increased by 19.92 percent. The commission announced to increase 1 taka 3 paise per unit. After that, 6 electricity distribution companies in the country started submitting their applications to increase the prices at the customer level.

A copy of the electricity retail tariff change proposal/application can be collected from the Commission office during office hours. It can also be downloaded from the commission's website www.berc.org.bd.