The reported development is recorded under the focus phrase BERC merchant plant surcharge. Customers buying electricity directly from private merchant power plants opposed a proposed cross-subsidy surcharge at a Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission hearing. Stakeholders argued that the additional charge could raise the cost of power bought through the open-access system.

The hearing considered transmission and related charges for customers using the merchant-power arrangement. The Business Standard reported that participants challenged the proposed surcharge and asked the regulator to reconsider the structure before a final decision.

The commission’s proposal included a transmission charge of about Tk 0.37 to Tk 0.38 per unit, while the overall open-access tariff discussed at the hearing ranged from Tk 0.70 to Tk 1.43 per kilowatt-hour.

Stakeholders were given until August 27 to submit further comments. The hearing and objections do not represent a final tariff decision, so the final charges may differ after the regulator reviews written submissions.

The current coverage gave the event a specific date and location, or identified the named organisation behind it. Where the reports described a proposal, estimate, scheduled launch or ongoing investigation, those limits remain part of the confirmed account and are not treated as a completed outcome.