UNB, Dhaka:

The government is set to issue new bonds worth Tk5000 crore to address pending payments to private power producers, according to official sources.

The move is currently awaiting final approval from the Finance Ministry.

“We’ve completed all the necessary processes from our end to issue the new bonds amounting to Tk5000 crore. Now it’s with the Finance Ministry for the final approval,” a senior official of the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) told UNB.

The official expressed the hope that the BPDB will receive the final clearance from the Finance Ministry within this week, after which the bonds will be floated.

He added that some 25-27 public and private sector banks will be involved in the bond issuance process, similar to previous instances.

The initiative aims to ease the financial strain on independent power producers (IPPs) and stabilise the country’s power sector, the officials said.

According to them, the BPDB initiated the move and consulted the Power Division to discuss the issue with the Finance Division.

“We’ve been calculating BPDB’s dues with the private power producers, known as independent power producers (IPPs),” said another top BPDB official.

He disclosed that BPDB’s total unpaid bills currently amount to approximately Tk42,000 crore, of which the IPPs are owed around Tk7,000 crore.

Of the remaining amount, Tk17,000 crore is owed for gas bills, while state-owned public sector power plants are due Tk10,000 crore.

Indian public and private sector entities, including the Adani Group, are expected to receive about Tk8,000 crore.

In an earlier initiative aimed at stabilising the power sector, the previous Awami League government securedTk 20,620 crore through the issuance of special bonds to clear outstanding liabilities to private power plants.

This effort involved collaboration with two prominent private banks — City Bank and Pubali Bank.

A comprehensive agreement was signed on 25 January, marking a crucial step in addressing the power sector’s financial challenges.

As per the agreement, the government issued bonds worth Tk19,850 crore to City Bank and Tk77.50 crore to Pubali Bank, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The government’s inability to disburse subsidy funds has left private power plants struggling to meet their financial obligations, pushing some to the brink of insolvency.

To address this crisis, the issuance of special bonds with an 8 percent coupon rate, reflecting the repo rate set by Bangladesh Bank, was introduced. Any future changes in the repo rate will adjust the bond interest rate accordingly.

At the end of the bond term, the government will settle bank dues along with interest and reclaim the bonds. Unlike typical 15-20-year bonds, these special bonds have a maximum tenure of 10 years to meet the urgent needs of the power sector.

Key players in the power sector, including Summit Power, United Power, Confidence Power, Baraka, Kushiara, Doreen, and Akron Power, are among the beneficiaries of this initiative.

The Finance Division has also disclosed plans for phased agreements with other banks, including BRAC Bank and Bank Asia, to further address the sector’s liabilities.

Reflecting on the agreement’s significance, managing directors of several banks expressed optimism.

While banks can leverage these bonds with Bangladesh Bank, it provides the government with crucial financial breathing space.