bd EnergY LinK

OPINION
For immediately adopting an appropriate coal mining strategy
Saleque Sufi

There is no dearth of proposals for short-, medium- and long-term actions to help overcome the problems that the country is now facing in its vital energy sector. Seminars, symposia and round-table meetings have been held aplenty, both at home and abroad, in the last couple of years for synergising actions to confront the prevailing and emerging energy crisis. Issues that are relevant to energy crisis and gas crunch are now, by and large, known. So also some possible remedies have been identified, time and again. But actions are yet hard to come to grapple with the situation.

In this context, it would be relevant to recall here that some non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) from the USA, Australia and the Philippines participated in a government-sponsored brain-storming on coal mining strategy, held last year around this time inDhaka . Intensive interactions took place then, over a period of four days in Jamuna Bridge resort, with government policy-makers and resident Bangladeshi professionals on coal mining strategy. Professional coal miners with hands on mining experience suggested what would need to be done at the under-performing mine at Barapukuria. Mine city planners and GIS experts presented relevant aspects of resettlement and rehabilitation issues. Environmental and other aspects associated with mining were also discussed there. A complete set of recommendations on coal policy emerged out of the round-table conference.

One year has whistled away. But coal policy continues to remain in hibernation. Leaving huge domestic coal resource underground, the vested quarters are conspiring to set up coal-fired power plants based on imported coal.

Over the last one year, no new gas field was discovered; there were no worthwhile exploration efforts to discover any gas resource. No gas field, worth mentioning, was further developed. Action did not also come to seal leakage of Titas gas field. No new gas transmission infrastructure of gas was set up. Demand has grown in the meantime. Production crisis and transmission constraints of gas system have created crisis over power generation, fertilizer production and operation of industries. Can any democratic government sustain this situation so long? What are the answers of energy sector policy-makers?

Last winter Dhaka city and adjoining areas experienced the worst gas crisis of history. None told us that situation improved much. Desperate management actions were talked about then, for gas rationing, holiday staggering, shutting down CNG fuelling station operations until 4PM on every week days. But such measures, even if operationalised at full gear, would not bring much relief, as the experts fear.

According to reliable sources, the country’s gas deficit is about 300 MMCFD now. National production capacity is 2000 MMCFD but for transmission constraint, only about 1950 MMCFD can be transported. Even that transportation is affected by low pressure over entire gas grid, as the main transmission segment N-S Corridor from Beanibazar to Ashuganj transmission system is supersaturated. No on-stream pigging to clean these pipelines has been conducted since the commissioning of these pipelines. There are no pipeline compressor stations in the system. The government has already run into controversy regarding Muchai Compressor installations. So there is no immediate respite from gas system crisis.

The country’s peak power demand already is about 6000MW. Power Development Board (PDB) can generate about 3800-4000MW. There was little or no addition from last year. PDB claims that about 600MW capacity is lying idle for gas supply crisis. It has been learnt that Petro Bangla (PB) is taking actions to increase gas production from operated gas fields at Bhangura, Meghna and Titas. But there is no guarantee that these will be available soon.

The people of Bangladesh have every right to question the non-performance of the authorities concerned or their non-achievement in power sector and gas sector over the past several months. Development of energy sector issues is left uncared for all practical purposes. But some policy-makers have remained themselves busy with useless road shows at abroad. They are repeating the same at home, now. What benefits would these ventures bring to Bangladesh energy sector? Why have not PDB and Petrobangla Chairmen been able to resolve gas supply topower generation units while they are too busy with non-substantive matters? The energy sector policy-makers and managers owe explanations to the nation.

We cannot come out of the crisis so long we cannot realistically diversify fuel for power generation. We must immediately adopt appropriate coal mining strategy. Domestic coal is our best option for power generation. We must start mining of coal in our mines by economic means to extract maximum resource in proven technique and start setting up some large capacity mine power plants. Plants on imported coal will not be economic and cannot be set up in less than five years. These are all hypes and ways of trapping Bangladesh permanently on external dependence.

Gas sector is also suffering from competency crisis. Key management has little capability. There is no way for the gas system to come out of present crisis in less than three years. But some contingency measures can create some comfort. We do not understand why gas saved for routine maintenance of KAFCO and forced outage of CUFL cannot bring Raujan and Shikhalbaha to full capacity generation, at least temporarily. Fertilizer plants unfortunately are the only ones which can be shut down on rotations to divert gas for other use including power plants. PDB must also try to produce maximum from energy efficient plants. People do not want to listen to blaming games between PDB and Petrobangla.

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The writer is the ex-Director (Operation), GTCL, and

writes from Australia