DHAKA: The government has increased the power tariff up to 6.96 percent in consumer levels.

The decision of hiking power price will be effective from March 1.

From now on, the price of every unit of electricity will be Tk 6.15 instead of Tk 5.75.
    
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) took the decision on Thursday.   

However, this hiking power won’t be applicable in irrigation sector, BERC chairman AR Khan said in the press conference.

On March 6, Rural Electrification Board (REB) proposed increasing electricity tariff by 12.587 percent to minimize growing losses.   

BERC chairman AR Khan, member Dr Selim Mahmud, engineers Md Delwar Hossain and Maksudul Haque are conducting the public hearing on the proposal placed by REB.

BERC chairman also said that the price of minimum limit of use won’t increase but the limit of minimum unit was decreased to 50-unit from 75-unit.

Existing minimum charges, service charges, demand charges and late charges will be unchanged, he added.

Earlier, the BERC recommended considering increasing retail tariff by 6.66 percent on average for PDB customers on March 4 while 7.51 percent for WZPDC customers and 6.03 percent for DPDC customers and 2.01 percent for DESCO customers.     

In September 2012, the increased BERC last the retail power tariff by 15 percent to Tk 5.75 per unit.

Later the government gave a nod to the energy ministry’s move to increase the price for cutting subsidies.   

BDST: 1845 HRS, MAR 13, 2014