The government has sought a loan of more than $350 million from the World Bank to boost its power sector and build pipelines to transmit natural gas to help ease its power crisis, a senior official said yesterday. "We are almost in the final stage (of getting the loan approved) and the money will be utilised to implement a number of projects in the energy sector, including setting up a 300-megawatt (MW) power plant," a senior official of the Ministry of Energy said. The Washington-based bank had committed initially to a $275 million loan but later raised the amount at the request of Bangladesh government, said an official at the World Bank's office in Dhaka. With the additional funds, a 60-km pipeline will be built to carry natural gas from the Bakhrabad field to the Siddhirganj power station. An 11-km 230kv power transmission line will also be built to supply electricity from the power station to the Dhaka city. Following a severe power crisis across the country, the country's development partners including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Japanese government have agreed to help fund the sector. The country has been facing power shortages of up to 1,500 MW each day, and hundreds of factories have been idled across the country. "Since power and energy are the lifeline for the economy, we are committed to help Bangladesh," the World Bank official said. The government also concluded negotiations with the World Bank on Sunday for a $130 million food support package. "Food price inflation has caused enormous hardship to the poor and low-income people in Bangladesh," said Zahid Hussain, World Bank's acting Country Director for Bangladesh. The funds would be used to buy food and to boost production. The credit from the World Bank has 40 years to maturity, including a 10-year grace period; and carries a service charge of 0.75 percent.