The budget will remain in deficit during the forecast period as the government attempts to tackle a number of problems while also making progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals outlined by the UN. One of the biggest short-term challenges will be to improve the supply of energy. The main obstacles are a shortage of gas (the main fuel for electricity-generating plants in Bangladesh) and a large stock of old, inefficient power stations. The government hopes to boost power supplies in the short term by buying power from several independent firms that are building diesel-powered electricity-generating plants.