The government will make downward adjustments of power and gas tariffs if prices of petroleum and gas continue to drop in the international market, said Prime Minister’s energy adviser Dr. Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury.

He said this while unveiling a publication titled “Empowering Bangladesh ''of the Forum for Energy Reporters Bangladesh (FERB) at Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka Thursday.

According to him, the government has maintained a lifeline tariff for power supply to the marginal consumers.

“The government is overcoming the dollar crisis as export earnings and remittance increase. The inflow of remittances shows a positive trend while exports are rising,” he said.

Chaired by FERB chairman Md. Shamim Jahangir, the function was also addressed by Power Cell director Mohammad Hossain, Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited’s managing director Bikash Dewan and Dhaka Electric Supply Company limited’ managing director Kausar Ameer Ali. FERB executive director Rishan Nasrullah moderated the event.    Responding to a question, Dr. Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury said, “The government has set up a huge number of power generation plants from an early thinking of meeting the future loads in the industrial sector.”

He said that the government would “not allow open-cut coal mining in order to protect the underground aquifer and also the topsoil of the fertile lands that yield huge crops in the country.”

The adviser informed that the government would pay the coal prices to Indian Adani Group as tariff of the other coal-fired power plants in Bangladesh.

The energy adviser, however, said the government would legalise the three-wheeler easy bikes in the country.

He added that the government redesigned the easy bikes with the experts from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) at a cost of Tk 3 crore.

The adviser said the government welcomes the US company ExxonMobil on offshore oil and gas exploration if it matches with the national interest.