Power purchase contracts with rental and quick rental power plants could be done and extended on-call basis like that of Uber, said Prime Minister’s energy advisor Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.
“Rental and quick rental plants are our national assets. We can take their service on-call basis,” he said while addressing a webinar titled: “Rental, Quick Rental Power Plant, Past, Present and Future”, organised by Forum for Energy Reporters Bangladesh (FERB), on Tuesday.
The energy advisor’s comments came amid huge criticisms against the most costly electricity that the government has been purchasing for a long time from the private sector.
The plants were set up on an unsolicited basis as part of the government’s strategy to find a quick solution to the nagging power crisis that prevailed over a decade back.
Despite surplus generation of more than 4,000 MW in the power system, many of the rental and quick rental plants are still in operation following the extension of their contracts with the government on a number of occasions.
Defending the rental and quick rental’s continuous operation, Tawfiq Elahi said these plants sometimes become essential because of the volatility in the global fuel market.