Severe financial strain, particularly in acquiring US dollars, has struck Bangladesh’s power and energy sectors, leading to a substantial backlog in the settlement of import bills, as reported by official sources to the media.
The cumulative outstanding bills for both sectors have surged to approximately US $ 5.0 billion.
Of this total, the power sector shoulders a backlog of around US $ 4.0 billion, while the remaining US $ 1.0 billion pertains to the energy sector.
Acknowledging the severity of the crisis, State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid highlighted that the primary challenge lies in the shortage of dollars.
In an interview with the media, he emphasized that while managing the crisis in local currency is feasible, the insufficiency of dollar allocations from Bangladesh Bank remains a critical issue.
Hamid revealed that the power and energy sectors require at least US $1 billion monthly to meet their payment obligations, receiving less than half of that, which contributes to the escalating cumulative outstanding amount.
