Dhaka, Apr 23 (bdnews24.com) – The government is determined to set up coal-fired power plants to meet power demands and will wait no more on formulation of a national coal policy, the finance minister said on Thursday.
AMA Muhith said power generated from on-stream together with projects in the pipeline would not be enough to meet demand.
“So, we are mulling over new coal-fired power projects whether coal policy is formulated or not.”
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Coal would be imported to meet demand, he said at a seminar on impacts of global recession on Bangladesh’s textile sector, hosted by the Bangladesh Steels and Engineering Corporation in the city.
On global recession fallout in Bangladesh, he said, “There has been little recession impact in the current fiscal year. It will be felt more in the coming fiscal year, but we will get over it the following year.”
He said incentive packages would be introduced for the industries that can grab new international markets and diversify exports.
Industries minister Dilip Barua also spoke at the seminar.
He said investors were not coming forward due to many obstacles—power and gas and water scarcity, weak infrastructure, high interest rates, and complex tax and investment regulations, among others.
There was no alternative to removing these hindrances for domestic industries to flourish, he said.
Nazneen Ahmed, fellow of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, suggested reduced duty on capital machinery in the next budget and long-term measures for apparel, jute, leather and frozen food industries, which were being affected by recession.
Filed under: Bangladesh
