DHAKA, April 19 (V7N) — Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood informed the Jatiya Sangsad today that Bangladesh’s government and private power plants currently owe a total of Tk 52,300.88 crore in outstanding bills, including arrears for electricity imports.

The minister explained that of this amount, Tk 11,634.06 crore is owed to Petrobangla for gas bills, while Tk 3,891.55 crore remains unpaid for electricity imports from India. He further noted that Tk 17,357.68 crore is due as capacity and fuel payments to gas‑ and fuel oil‑based Independent Power Producer (IPP) plants, and Tk 15,452.91 crore is outstanding for coal prices and capacity payments to joint venture and IPP coal‑based plants.

In addition, Tk 5,623.03 crore is owed to government‑owned power companies for capacity and fuel arrears, while Tk 198.94 crore is pending as hauling charges. The minister emphasized that these figures reflect the financial strain currently facing the power sector.

Iqbal Hassan Mahmood also disclosed that the total bank loans taken by power plants stand at Tk 1,49,311.26 crore, underscoring the sector’s heavy reliance on borrowed funds. He said the government is working to manage these liabilities while ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply nationwide.

The statement came in response to a starred question from ruling BNP lawmaker SM Jahangir Hossain (Dhaka‑18), with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal presiding over the session. The disclosure highlights the urgent need for reforms in power sector financing and strategies to reduce dependence on costly capacity payments.

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