Mentioning power as the driving force for the development, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised yesterday to ensure electricity for all within 2020 while unveiling the plaque of newly-built 51 megawatt rental power plant at Fenchuganj ofSylhet.

Blaming the past governments for nagging power crisis in the country, she said her government inherited acute crises of power, gas, water and food as well as global economic recession while assuming power.

She alleged that the last BNP-led four-party alliance government was engaged in plundering public money in the name of making of electric poles.

"There were only poles but no electricity connection though demand for power was increasing day by day," the prime minister said.

Saying that the government worked for the last 14 months for the power sector's development, she listed her government's various efforts to free the nation from the nagging power crisis.

Mentioning these election manifesto to make the country surplus in power by 2021, Hasina said steps have been taken to raise the power generation capacity to 7,000 megawatt (MW) by 2013. "Contracts were signed to install power plants with 1000 megawatt capacity in different places of the country in the first phase underthisplan."

She also said steps were taken to award work orders for installing power plants to produce another 1000 megawatt by next two months.

The prime minister informed that the government has taken measures to implement a scheme to install power plants of 500MW capacity in the private sector.

"The cabinet also endorsed a project last month for installing power plants to produce 830 megawatt of electricity," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said power production is being interrupted as there was not enough gas available right now.

She said measures were taken to import Liquefied Natural Gas from Qatar to resolve this crisis. "We are also considering with importance diversification of energy."

The prime minister also said that the present government is actively considering installing nuclear power plants to meet the increasing demand of power. 'Tn this regard, a team will be visiting Russia soon."

She said works are going on to find out possible ways of importing electricity from India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar.

Technical teams are working on Bangladesh-India Power Exchange programme, she said.

Hasina said the government has already taken steps to erect transmission lines from Bahrampur in West Bengal to Bheramara in Kushtia as well as to set up a power substation in Bheramara. "We hope to be able to import 250 megawatt of electricity from India through this transmission line.”

The government has also taken steps to import electricity through Agartala in Tripura State of India, she said.

The prime minister said that some fertiliser factories were shut to divert gas for power generation. "The outcome of this measure is expected to be known within a week, "she said.

She urged all to use solar power as far as possible to cope with the increasing demand of power.

She also urged the Bangladeshi expatriates to invest in the country and assured them of providing with all sorts of facilities.

Hasina promised to set up another fertiliser factory in the Sylhet region.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith and State Minister for Power Mohammad Enamul Haque were, among others, present on the occasion.