The mega power purchase agreements made during the deposed Sheikh Hasina-led regime must be scrutinized and measures be taken for cancellation or amendment, demands the National Committee for the Protection of Oil, Gas, Minerals, power and ports.
It stated this while presenting its six-point demand during a discussion in the capital yesterday.
Presenting the demands, the committee stressed that projects like Rooppur, Rampal, Matarbari, and Payra, as well as developments in electricity, liquid fuel, gas, coal, and renewable energy projects, should be reviewed for remedial measures.
It now seeks to establish the rule of law following the ouster of Hasina ending her more than 15 years of autocratic rule by either scrapping or changing the key energy laws.
According to energy and legal experts, in the last 14 years until Hasina’s fall on August 5, the Awami League government made almost all power and energy deals behind the scene under the protection of an indemnity law named ‘Quick enhancement of electricity and energy supply act, 2010’.
The law handed unprecedented power to the government, which was Hasina herself, enabling her to award power and energy deals without any tender while ensuring that her decisions could not be challenged in any court of law, channeling a huge amount of public money into private pockets by creating a power system suffering from 50 percent overcapacity.
The law allows awarding any companies without tender for any power and energy projects.
No legal action can be taken against any employees and officials who have operated under the law or its subordinate rules or any general or special orders given under it, states section 10 of the law, considering all actions done under it performed in good faith.
It violates standard practices of public procurement around the world,’ said the energy experts.
It is to be noted that the past government under the law set up 151 power plants, including dozens of furnace oil, diesel, coal and gas-fired power plants, and two floating, storage and regasification units.
But not a single power and energy agreement was ever made public. The Awami League government also kept all environmental impact assessments a secret.
The new interim government should suspend the indemnity law and amend the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission act to ensure people’s right to public hearing before energy price hikes.
We demand the commission should work to reduce inefficiency and corruption to ensure uninterrupted energy supply without increasing prices.
