Prepaid Meter Charge Withdrawal Under Consideration Amid Power Tariff Hike

The process of withdrawing the additional monthly charge imposed on prepaid electricity meters is underway, and an official decision may be announced soon, according to Md. Rezaul Karim, Chairman of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, June 3, he said that no formal decision has yet been finalized. However, the Power Minister has instructed the authorities to withdraw the additional charge imposed on prepaid meters. He expressed hope that a decision would be made shortly.

Earlier on the same day, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) announced increases in electricity tariffs at both the wholesale and consumer levels.

Under the new decision, wholesale electricity prices have been raised by 19.85 percent, while consumer-level tariffs have increased by an average of 16.68 percent. The revised rates took effect from June 1.

According to the announcement, the per-unit tariff for lifeline consumers using up to 50 units of electricity has increased from Tk 4.63 to Tk 5.32.

For consumers using between 0 and 75 units, the rate has risen from Tk 5.26 to Tk 6.18 per unit. For those consuming between 76 and 200 units, the tariff has increased from Tk 7.20 to Tk 8.50 per unit.

The per-unit rate for consumers using 201–300 units has been raised from Tk 7.59 to Tk 9.10, while those consuming 301–400 units will now pay Tk 9.62 instead of Tk 8.02 per unit.

For consumption between 401 and 600 units, the tariff has increased from Tk 12.67 to Tk 15.01 per unit. Consumers using more than 600 units will now pay Tk 17.35 per unit, up from Tk 14.61.

The prospect of withdrawing the additional prepaid meter charge is being viewed as a measure of relief for consumers at a time when electricity prices have been increased across all customer categories.

DBTech/DPO/EK/OR