Prime Minister’s Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury on Thursday said the government will consider reducing office hours and encourage remote or ‘work from home’ policy to save electricity across the country.
He made the announcement at a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Dhaka.
The announcement comes at a time when the frequency of load-shedding across the country has risen due to the shortage in power generation, causing sufferings to the people amid scorching heat.
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With an urge to save energy as part of social responsibility, Tawfiq said the country could face an energy crisis till September due to the Russia-Ukraine unrest.
"There is a power shortage of about 2,000MW. If energy can be saved, it can be reduced to 500MW,” he said.
"If the demand of 2,000MW is reduced during peak hours, there may be no pressure of load-shedding."
The energy adviser said it is difficult to justify the electricity rationing between villages and towns.
Compared to city dwellers, people in villages will suffer more from power cuts, he added.
ALSO READ - 2,000MW deficit causing frequent power cuts
The fresh plan to reduce working hours and implement a work from home policy surfaced just a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina disclosed that the government has no option but to use load-shedding and limit power production as fuel prices have been continuously increasing globally due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We have taken electricity to every house. But, now, we are compelled to enforce load-shedding and limit electricity generation as we couldn’t give (any more) subsidy for power,” she said.
Similarly, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid in an audio statement hinted again at increasing fuel prices in the country against the backdrop of rising prices in the international market.
