Despite the increase in international market, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has reduced the price of LP gas in a strategic move. The new price of 12 kg LPG has been set at Tk. 1,455.

Autogas has been reduced by 3 paisa from Tk. 66.84 per liter to Tk. 66.81. The new price will be effective from 6 pm, BERC said.

BERC Chairman Jalal Ahmed announced the new price for November through a press conference at the BERC hall room on Tuesday (November 5).

The price per ton in the international market has increased by about 10 dollars compared to last month, and the average dollar rate has increased from Tk. 119.63 to Tk. 120.21. That is why the price was expected to increase a lot. But BERC is providing relief to customers by pulling up the ship rent. It has calculated the average premium cost for the 10 months of this year and set it at 108 dollars per ton.

Until April 12, 2021, the price of LPG was at the discretion of the companies. When BERC announced the price on April 12, it was said that the price announced by the Saudi state company Aramco, which is an import-dependent fuel, would be considered the base price. At that time, the ship fare was set at 95 dollars, later it was increased to 123 dollars for LPG importers in two stages. The current commission has reduced it to 108 dollars. Although the international market price has increased, it has decreased in Bangladesh.

When the price was announced in 2021, it was said that the base price would fluctuate if the Saudi price fluctuated. Other commissions will remain unchanged. Since the announcement, BERC has been announcing the price of LPG every month. But there are many complaints about getting the price at the price determined by BERC.

India's Adani Power has told Bangladesh that it will completely cut off power supply if the dues of 850 million dollars are not paid by November 7.

This information was reported by the Indian media Times of India.

India's Adani Power Jharkhand Limited has recently reduced power supply to Bangladesh by half. It is said that they have taken this decision after not receiving the due bills on time.

Citing sources, the Times of India report said that after the dues payment deadline passed on October 31, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) tried to open a 170 million dollar letter of credit through Krishi Bank. But BPDB did not fulfill the conditions mentioned in the power purchase agreement. Due to the delay in paying the dues, Adani Power has reduced its power supply from Jharkhand to Bangladesh from October 31.

The Times of India said that according to data from Power Grid Bangladesh, Adani's Godda plant supplied only 724 MW of electricity out of its 1,496 MW power generation capacity on Friday (November 1). Production at other major plants including Payra, Rampal and SS Power 1 has also been reduced due to fuel shortage.

The report said that NTPC's joint venture Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company's Rampal plant in Bagerhat and SS Power I are already producing less than half due to coal shortage.

Quoting a source, the Times of India said that as Bangladesh has not paid its dues on time, the arrears have been increasing day by day. Although Bangladesh paid about 90 million dollars to Adani Power in October. In the previous months, Bangladesh had paid 20-50 million dollars arrears every month against a monthly bill of 90-100 million dollars.

After Adani, Matarbari coal-based power plant has been closed due to want of coal. Rampal and Payra power plants are also on the verge of closure.

There are 4 large coal-based power plants in the country, each with a production capacity of over 1200 MW. And there are 4 small units, one of which is 307 MW, one is 275 MW and two are 125 MW.

All of them, except for the 3 small power plants located in the Barapukuria coal mine, are suffering from energy problems to some extent. It is known that this crisis has arisen due to the huge arrears of power plants running on imported coal. Some are unable to open LCs due to want of money, while others are unable to open LCs due to the dollar crisis. Due to this, the coal supply chain of the power plants is on the verge of breaking down.

Among the large coal-based power plants, Banshkhali seems to have a regular supply so far. One unit of the power plant is providing uninterrupted power supply. Another shipload of coal arrived in the country on Saturday. Barishal 307 MW and Barapukuria 125 MW power plants are under regular maintenance. Barapukuria 125 MW and Barapukuria 275 MW power plants are in partial production. Payra and Rampal are producing partially, but sources have confirmed that Rampal's coal stock is running out this week.

In addition to imported coal, 1,600 MW of electricity is imported from Indian company Adani. Adani Group has a bill of about Tk.10,000 crore. The company has announced that it will shut down one unit from October 31. It has threatened to shut down the second unit if the dues are not paid by November 7.

Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited's (CPGCBL) Matarbari power plant has also been shut down due to want of coal. The power plant came into production last year. Where 2.25 lakh tons of coal brought for power generation has been exhausted. Therefore, power generation has been stopped from October 31. CPGCBL invited international tenders for three years of coal supply, but there were allegations of fraud. Following the application of a contracting company, the High Court imposed a six-month ban on coal import. Although that order was though stayed by another court coal import is facing uncertainty in the long term. CPGCBL hopes that coal may arrive by the end of November.

On the other hand, the Payra 1320 MW power plant of Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt.) Limited, a joint venture of the Bangladesh and Chinese governments, is also failing due to arrears. Out of the two units, one unit is operating due to lack of coal. The company has a bill of Tk. 5,800 crore due to the Power Development Board. It is said that it is facing complications in opening LC due to liquidity crisis.

The energy picture of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) daily production report shows that the production of cost-effective coal-based power plants has decreased, so the expensive furnace oil-based power plants are having to run more. Even then, load shedding cannot be stopped. On November 1, 12,302 MW of electricity was generated in the evening PK. Around 1,700 MW of load shedding occurred that day.

On the other hand, a source in BPDB said that they are already at a loss. In this situation, it has been advised to reduce losses by running coal-based power plants more. If the reverse increases there, the average cost of electricity generation will increase further.

The demand for electricity has been somewhat reduced due to the low demand on November 1, which is a weekend. The demand has naturally decreased due to the decrease in temperature in the northern region. Due to which the production has decreased, the suffering has been relatively less. Since the winter season runs from December to February, the demand will remain low. However, the irrigation season and Ramadan may present a huge challenge together at the end of February. It is feared that a major shortage may arise if the problem is not resolved before then.

While coal is in crisis, there is no good news for gas either. Production has been destroyed due to gas shortage. For several months, gas-based power plants have been generating electricity in less than half the time which one remains permanently in place for months after months.

Despite repeated calls to Power Development Board Chairman Md. Rezaul Karim and Member (Production) Khandaker Mokammel Hossain for their opinions, they did not receive them.

The price of gold has increased in the country's market again. This time, it is increasing by 1,575 taka per bhori. With this, the price of good quality gold stands at 1,43,526 taka per bhori. This new price will be effective from Thursday.

This information was given in a press release of the Bangladesh Jewelers Association (BAJUS) Price Determination and Price Monitoring Committee on Wednesday (October 30) evening.

The release said that the price of acidic gold (pure gold) has increased in the local market. As a result, the new price of gold has been determined considering the overall situation.

According to the new price, the price of 22-carat gold per bhori (11.664 grams) will be 1,43,526 taka. In addition, the price of 21-carat gold per bhori will be 1,37,05 taka, 18-carat gold per bhori will be 1,17,433 taka and the price of traditional gold per bhori will be 96,520 taka.

Bajus said that the government-determined 5 percent VAT and Bajus-determined minimum wage of 6 percent must be added to the selling price of gold. However, the wage may vary depending on the design and quality of the jewelry.

Earlier, Bajus last adjusted the price of gold in the domestic market on October 22. At that time, the organization had increased the price of a 22-carat gold by Tk. 1,890 per bhori and set the price of a 24-carat gold at Tk. 1,41,951.

It is worth noting that so far this year, the price of gold has been adjusted 45 times in the domestic market. Where the price has been increased 28 times, and reduced 17 times. And in 2023, the price was adjusted 29 times.