ACUTE shortage of electricity and natural gas has forced the government to resort to the establishment of rental power stations, bypassing official procurement procedures. For the moment the people are prepared to accept the government’s compulsion to rent equipment and buy fuel at exorbitant prices, but they are aware that the crisis has arisen because of policy failures of past governments and the lack of readiness of the present one.

Unless a comprehensive energy policy that recognises the paucity of our natural resources and the need to invest in alternative energy sources and contemporary technologies is developed Bangladesh will not be able to achieve long-term energy security.

A much better and more permanent option would be to buy electricity from Nepal and Bhutan or, even better, to go into joint venture projects with them. This would, of course, depend on friendly relations and cooperation in South Asia. The government must be given due credit for actively championing this cause.

The projected establishment with Russian help of two commercial nuclear reactors in Rooppur has caused a lot of excitement and also some apprehension. When fully operational in the next seven to ten years these reactors will help to meet a substantial portion of our power needs and is, therefore, a welcome development.

Some valid concerns regarding cost, safety and security have been raised by many commentators in both the print and the electronic media. It is true that third generation nuclear reactors are much safer but they cannot be guaranteed to be failsafe, and Bangladesh is ill-equipped to manage a major nuclear disaster arising from leakage or meltdown. I expect that the government will review all safety concerns before signing the final agreement.

Although nuclear energy could fulfil some of our energy needs for the foreseeable future it cannot be a long-term solution as Bangladesh will remain dependent on others for enriched reactor fuel. Known reserves of uranium, contrary to what has been claimed, are expected to run out in the next few decades. It will be prudent to base our long-term plans on what is available in Bangladesh.

The coal and gas reserves in Bangladesh are national assets that belong to the people, and rights to these cannot be sold off for ridiculously low royalties to foreign companies. When local expertise and capacity are not available then the exploration and mining rights could be leased to foreign companies in return for payment of adequate resources tax; a better option would be to hire required expertise and equipment for a defined period.

Because of the very low reserves of fossil fuels and the huge domestic demand it would not be sensible to export even an iota of any gas or coal mined in Bangladesh before meeting domestic needs.

Bangladesh relies almost exclusively on natural gas for electricity production even though the known reserves of natural gas are very limited. There is no doubt that much more natural gas is required than is produced in Bangladesh. First, it should be established if existing gas wells are capable of producing more, and any imposed ceilings on higher production should be removed.

Secondly, there has to be a much bigger effort given to the discovery and mining of new wells, with preference for exploration given to local companies if they have the required expertise and capabilities.

Thirdly natural gas should not be wasted for the production of urea if alternative fertilisers can be found. Finally, the unrestricted supply of natural gas (CNG) at very low price to private cars, the owners of which can easily afford to buy gasoline, is another wasteful policy that needs to be stopped immediately.

Bangladesh has reasonable reserves of relatively good quality coal and there is no other option to using this valuable resource for economic development and employment generation, which are required for poverty alleviation.

Satisfactory solutions to the successful mining of each of the coalfields can be found through consultations and discussions with local residents, environmentalists and technical experts. Bangladesh should also seriously consider alternatives to mining such as in situ gasification and minimisation of atmospheric pollution through carbon capture.

Over the years, some local energy companies have built up valuable expertise, but much of it has been lost due to their under-utilisation and subsequent brain drain. Many of these home-grown experts, and NRB scientists and technicians that have been trained overseas, now hold important positions with multinational energy companies and academic and research institutions in other countries.

It would be best to create conditions to reverse the brain drain and, at the very least, to request NRB experts to volunteer their time to build up capacity at home. There are many NRB scientists and technicians who would gladly volunteer their time and valuable expertise during their annual holidays if the government and universities were prepared to look after their travel and local expenses. They could also form a pool of technical experts that could provide relevant and appropriate advice.

Bangladesh’s known gas reserve will run out soon and the coal reserves will last for only the next few decades. Supply of enriched nuclear fuel, which is governed by geopolitical and security considerations, cannot be guaranteed for long as known uranium reserves are also expected to run out in the not too distant future. Moreover, fossil fuel-fired and nuclear power generation are technologies of the past, and we need to immediately start investing in environment-friendly and renewable energy technologies.

Large-scale production of bio-fertilisers from agricultural waste to replace urea would help to greatly decrease the pressure on the natural gas reserve. Lessening the use of urea will also decrease chemical poisoning of the soil and waterways.

The process is simple and the technology is already in place. All that is required is an active local government system to manage local agricultural and plant waste. Microbiologists and process biotechnologists in university and government research centres could help to improve efficiency and yield by speeding up the fermentation process.

Eco-friendly technology for the production of biogas is already available, and large-scale production from animal waste can be coordinated by local governments with the support of the BCSIR and the ministry of industry. Large-scale production of biogas in rural areas would decrease the dependence on natural gas for domestic purposes and also lessen the load on the electricity grid by powering irrigation pumps.

It has been suggested that Bangladesh could offset some of its oil import by producing bio-fuel from food grains and sugarcane. Diverting food to bio-fuel production is not sensible for Bangladesh. However, there are some innovative ways that can be adopted to produce ethanol from the breakdown of lignocellulose in plant material through newly discovered enzymes from wood-digesting insects and micro-organisms.

Large-scale biotechnological production of such enzymes could allow the conversion of agricultural waste into bio-fuel. Bangladeshi scientists should get involved in this type of research as production of bio-fuels from waste material has huge potential in our country.

The most promising renewable energy source is sunlight, which is available most of the year in Bangladesh. Although, on technological and cost considerations, solar energy

cannot match fossil fuels now there is huge potential for solar energy as elaborated in two excellent articles in the May issue of Forum.

In many parts of rural Bangladesh solar energy can form the major source of electricity. Now that solar panels are being assembled in Bangladesh the price will come down substantially and solar energy could become the cheapest and most abundant energy option. Further research to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic cells and decrease their cost of production should be a priority.

Because of low labour costs large-scale production of solar panels could attract substantial foreign investment, create jobs and become a major foreign exchange earner. This could pave the way for industrial scale solar thermal units.

The alternative and renewable energy sources that are likely to be a major part of our future energy plans are also friendly to the environment and an insurance against climate change. Their proper utilisation will require extensive investment in education, research and technology.

A substantial portion of the climate fund should be allocated to innovation and technology transfer related to the development of these new forms of environment friendly energy options that help to fight the adverse effects of climate change.

Ahmed A. Azad is TWAS Research Professor at the Centre for Advanced Research in Sciences (CARS), Dhaka University. Email: a_azad05@yahoo.com.au.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has boosted its technical assistance to scale up projects for better access to modern and reliable sources of clean energy.

An estimated 80 crore people in developing Asia have no access to basic electricity services and some 180 crore people must rely on traditional biomass fuels to meet their cooking and heating needs.

“Access to modern and reliable energy services is essential for sustainable development,” ADB Vice-President Ursula Schaefer-Preuss said after the bank’s Board of Directors approved $2 million in technical assistance recently.

The assistance will be used to develop and implement access to clean energy projects, an ADB spokesman said.

Jiwan Acharya, a climate change specialist with ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department, said the new technical assistance will initially focus on a few high-impact countries including Bangladesh.

The technical assistance will contribute to the ongoing work of the ‘Energy for All Initiative’, established in 2008 to increase ADB investment in access to energy.

It will also support the ADB’s regional platform, ‘Energy for All Partnership’, which brings together financial institutions, the private sector, civil society and governments with the target of bringing power to 10 crore people in Asia and the Pacific by 2015.

Last year, ADB projects worth $418 million translated to around 243,600 new households connected to modern energy compared to the average of 169,200 between 2003 and 2008.

FE Report

The government, struggling to shore up energy supply, plans to sign an initial deal with US oil giant ConocoPhillips this month to initiate hydrocarbon exploration in the deep sea.

State-owned Petrobangla will sign the deal with ConocoPhillips following a process initiated two and a half years ago through invitation of international tender.

Top officials of the energy ministry and Petrobangla held a meeting with ConocoPhillips last week before reaching the decision of signing the deal.

Under the deal ConocoPhillis will initiate conducting survey and exploration in the undisputed areas in two deep water offshore blocks.

The final production sharing contract (PSC) will be signed after resolving the dispute of overlapping gas blocks with the neighbouring India and Myanmar, a senior energy ministry official told the FE.

During last week’s meeting the government accepted ConocoPhillips’ demand for changing the location of arbitration from Dhaka to Singapore, said the official.

ConocoPhillips has been awarded two deep water gas blocks — DS-08-10 and DS-08-11 blocks — in the country’s 2008 offshore bidding round.

Irish Tullow Oil was also selected for shallow block SS-08-05 following the bidding.

But signing of production sharing contracts (PSCs) remained stalled due to overlapping dispute with neighbours as Myanmar and India have claimed part ownership over the threeoffshore blocks awarded to ConocoPhillips and Tullow Oil.

Bangladesh had asked both ConocoPhillips and Tullow Oil not to carry out hydrocarbon exploration in the disputed areas of the offshore blocks.

Bangladesh is now in talks with neighbors to settle the maritime boundary disputes and commence explorations in the prospective offshore structures.

It has also lodged suit with the United Nations tribunal to settle the maritime boundary disputes with the neighbours.

Bangladesh’s foreign ministry is also working on demarcation of the disputed areas in the ConocoPhillips and Tullow awarded blocks to immediately start exploration work there.

Currently, UK’s Cairn Energy operated Sangu gas field is the country’s lone operational offshore field with the output hovering around 35 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd).

The country’s total gas output is now around 1,980 mmcfd against the demand for over 2,300 mmcfd.

রাজধানীর সব এলকায় সমান হারে বিদ্যুৎ সরবরাহের মাধ্যমে লোডশেডিং সহনীয় রাখার ঘোষণা দিয়েছেন ঢাকা বিদ্যুৎ বিতরণ কোম্পানী লিমিটেডের নতুন ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক আব্দুস সোবহান।

DPDC

আজই এই নতুন পদে যোগ দিয়েছেন তিনি । কয়েকমাস আগে সাবেক এমডি আতাউল মাসুদের চুক্তির মেয়াদ শেষের পর পরিচালক(অপারেশন) ভারপ্রাপ্ত এমডির দায়িত্ব পালন করছিলেন । ঢাকার বিদ্যুৎ ব্যবস্থাপনার সঙ্গে ৩৫ বছর ধরে বিভিন্ন দায়িত্ব পালন করেছেন প্রকৌশলী আব্দুস সোবহান । সকালে যোগদানের পর থেকেই ডিপিডিসির কর্মকর্তা-কর্মচারীদের বিভিন্ন সংগঠনের নেতারা ফুল দিয়ে শুভেচ্ছা জানিয়েছেন তাকে । পরে রাজধানীর বিদ্যুৎ বিতরণ ব্যবস্থার দায়িত্বে থাকা কর্মকর্তাদের নিয়ে বৈঠক করেছেন । বলেছেন, চাহিদার চেয়ে কম বিদ্যুৎ পেলেও লোড ম্যানেজমেন্টর মাধ্যমে বেশী সেবা দেয়ার চেষ্টা করতে হবে। কোনো এলাকায় কম আর কোনো এলাকায় বেশী লোডশেডিং হতে দেয়া হবেনা। ডিপিডিসির গ্রাহক সেবার মান বাড়ানোর জন্য বিভিন্ন পদক্ষেপ নেয়ার কথাও জানান ঢাকার বিদ্যুৎ বিতরণের নতুন এই শীর্ষ কর্মকর্তা।

In a study submitted to the energy ministry late last month, the experts have pinpointed the need to take up a dozen pipeline projects urgently to evacuate gas from upcoming gas production in next five years.

Of these projects, two or three pipelines are cross-country and highly critical. Without these projects, all bids to reduce the country’s gas crisis would fail.

These pipeline projects would need around $900 million investment till 2015, says the study prepared by Petrobangla, Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL) and Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution System Ltd (TGTDCL).

The country’s present gas consumption is 2,000 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), with a short supply of 400 mmcfd. Of this gas production, foreign oil companies produce a little bit more than the national companies do.

One of the experts noted that if there were adequate pipelines, at least 130 mmcfd gas could have been supplied to the national grid from Jalalabad and Bibiyana gas fields as of today. He added the Jalalabad field has the capability to supply 230 mmcfd gas for a long time, but it was not able to supply that much due to lack of pipeline support.

The country had not taken up any major gas pipeline construction between 2000 and 2009. Some pipeline projects are now being implemented mainly to connect the gas-deprived southwestern region to the eastern region. But these pipelines are not meant to allow an increased supply from the gas fields which are situated in the central and northeastern parts of the country.

“Petrobangla was in charge of the central planning. But it did not play its due role in planning for the pipelines. The GTCL also had a responsibility to review the gas supply system, but there was lacking in its work as well,” one of the experts noted.

“Petrobangla did not even take up the urgent steps that it needed to take in the last 18 months when the alarm bell was already rung. Had it taken those steps, we could have moved a few steps closer to solving the gas crisis,” another expert added.

Moreover, the gas production increase plan of the national and international oil companies would not be enough to meet the next five years’ demand.

According to the study, in 2015 the total gas production would hit 3,818 mmcfd which is almost double of the present production. But at that time, the demand would go up to 4,162 mmcfd.

“These pipelines are long overdue. But it will take some time to take decisions in this regards as there is a planning process to complete,” said Energy Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin.

He added financing for these pipeline projects could derive from a combination of sources. Companies like GTCL or Titas could self-finance some pipelines, while the government could fund the rest, he noted.

The study, prepared on the basis of software simulations and data on the country’s gas sector, states that the simulations clearly indicate the need for import of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) at an initial rate of 500 mmcfd (million cubic feet per day).

Earlier in April, Petrobangla assigned GTCL and TGTDCL to identify the need for development of additional transmission pipelines and associated facilities for the evacuation of incremental gas production from different fields within 2015.

The experts assessed that the Power Development Board’s plan to nearly double power generation [from present 4,500 MW] requires present gas consumption of 945 mmcfd to be raised to 1,841 mmcfd in next five years.

Chevron has given a clear plan to increase gas production from three gas fields of Jalalabad, Bibiyana and Moulvibazar to 1,550 mmcfd by 2015 from the present 920 mmcfd. The American company expects to add another 100 mmcfd by June 2013 from a new gas field in Patuakhali.

The experts noted that as there was no plan to increase capacity, the fertiliser sector will be consuming a static 280 mmcfd gas in next five years. But they suggested that indigenous fertiliser production should not be interrupted to ensure maintaining adequate fertiliser production for the agriculture sector.

In recent years, the government on several occasions had shut down fertiliser production to increase gas supply for power generation. Experts say this is a bad practice for the fertiliser industry.

Gas demand in the domestic, refuelling and commercial sector [also called non-bulk sector] is rapidly growing and it should be dealt with carefully as it is a sensitive issue for the public. This sector would continue to demand more.

Aminur Rahman, managing director of GTCL, noted, “We need some major pipelines. Firstly, we need one to evacuate extra gas to be produced by Chevron in next three years. We will also need a major pipeline for supply of the LNG.”

He added all of these pipelines must be completed by 2013.

The GTCL has already floated tender for a 30-inch pipeline between Bakhrabad and Siddhirganj and taking up another pipeline project between Bakhrabad and Ashuganj. Both of these would reduce bottlenecks in the present gas distribution system.

DIGTEF-2010
Dhaka International
Green Trade, Environment and Ecotourism Fair -2010
Venue :
Bangabandhu International Conference Center
Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Date :
August 19 – 21, 2010
Organized by :

SAVE THE EARTH INTERNATIONAL

DREAMS
more about…http://www.digtef.com/index.htm

প্রধানমন্ত্রীর উপদেষ্টা ড. তৌফিক-ই-ইলাহী চৌধুরী বীর বিক্রম বলেছেন, জাতির জনক বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান  দূরদৃষ্টিসম্পন্ন দেশপ্রেমিক নেতা ছিলেন। তিনি আমাদের একটি স্বাধীন-সার্বভৌম দেশ উপহার দিয়ে গেছেন।

তিনি আজ ঢাকায় বিদ্যুৎ ভবনে বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানের ৩৫ তম শাহাদাত বার্ষিকী উপলক্ষে বিদ্যুৎ উন্নয়ন বোর্ড  আয়োজিত আলোচনা অনুষ্ঠান ও দোয়া মাহফিলে প্রধান অতিথির বক্তৃতায় এ কথা বলেন।

উপদেষ্টা বলেন, বিদ্যুৎ খাতের উন্নয়নে সকলের সম্মিলিত প্রচেষ্টা প্রয়োজন। তিনি এক্ষেত্রে সকলের সহযোগিতা কামনা করেন।

অনুষ্ঠানে বিশেষ অতিথি বিদ্যুৎ, জ্বালানি ও খনিজ সম্পদ প্রতিমন্ত্রী মোহাম্মদ এনামুল হক এমপি বলেন, জাতির  জনক বঙ্গবন্ধু শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান ছিলেন ক্ষণজন্মা পুরুষ।  বঙ্গবন্ধু দেশ ও জাতির মঙ্গলের জন্য তাঁর পুরো জীবন উৎসর্গ করেছিলেন। নতুন প্রজন্মের কাছে তাঁর জীবন ও আদর্শ তুলে ধরতে হবে।

তিনি বলেন, দেশের বিদ্যুৎ ও জ্বালানি খাতের উন্নয়নেও তাঁর মৌলিক অবদান রয়েছে। তিনি ১৯৭৫ সালের ৯ আগষ্ট দেশের ৫টি গ্যাসফিল্ড বিদেশী কোম্পানীর কাছ থেকে রাষ্ট্রীয় মালিকানায় কিনে নিয়েছিলেন, যার সুফল আজও জাতি ভোগ করছে।

প্রতিমন্ত্রী বলেন, বর্তমানে স্বল্প মূল্যে আমরা জ্বালানী হিসেবে যে দেশীয় গ্যাস ব্যবহার করছি, হয়তো অনেকেই জানেন না, এটা বঙ্গবন্ধুর সেই দূরদর্শী সিদ্ধান্তের ফসল।

বিদ্যুৎ উন্নয়ন বোর্ড (পিডিবি)-র চেয়ারম্যান এ এস এম আলমগীর কবিরের সভাপতিত্বে অনুষ্ঠানে অন্যান্যের মধ্যে বিদ্যুৎ বিভাগের সচিব মো. আবুল কালাম আজাদ, পিডিবি’র সদস্য (প্রশাসন)  হুমাযুন কবির খান, পিডিবির সদস্য উৎপাদন মোস্তফা কামাল, পিডিবির সিবিএ সভাপতি মো. জহিরুল ইসলাম চৌধুরী এবং সাধারণ সম্পাদক মো. আলাউদ্দিন মিয়া  বক্তৃতা করেন।

আলোচনা শেষে মিলাদ মাহফিলে ১৫ আগষ্টে শাহাদাত বরনকারী জাতির জনক ও তাঁর পরিবারের সদস্যদের আত্মার মাগফেরাত কামনা করে মোনাজাত করা হয়।

মাধ্যম ….  মোহাম্মদ আফরাজুর রহমান
সিনিয়র তথ্য অফিসার
বিদ্যুৎ জ্বালানি ও খনিজ সম্পদ মন্ত্রনালয়

ঢাকা ইন্টারন্যাশনাল গ্রীন ট্রেড, এনভায়রনমেন্ট অ্যান্ড ইকো ট্যুরিজম ফেয়ার

আগামীকাল বৃহস্পতিবার ১৯ আগস্ট থেকে রাজধানীতে শুরু হতে যাচ্ছে তিন দিন ব্যাপি প্রথম পরিবেশ বান্ধব প্রযুক্তি মেলা।  বেলা ১২টায় “ঢাকা ইন্টারন্যাশনাল গ্রীন ট্রেড, এনভায়রনমেন্ট অ্যান্ড ইকো ট্যুরিজম ফেয়ার ২০১০” শীর্ষক এ মেলার উদ্বোধন করবেন  বানিজ্য মন্ত্রী লে. কর্ণেল (অব.) মুহাম্মদ ফারুক খান এমপি। বিশেষ অতিথি থাকবেন মাননীয় বন ও পরিবেশ প্রতিমন্ত্রী ড. হাছান মাহমুদ এমপি এবং এফবিসিসিআই এর সভাপতি এ.কে আজাদ। এই মেলার মূল আকর্ষন হচ্ছে ‘এলাইড সোলার এনার্জি লিমিটেডে’র ব্যতিক্রমধর্মী সোলার হাউজ বা সৌর ঘর। সম্পূর্ণ সোলার প্যানেলে তৈরী এই বিশেষ ধরনের ঘর দেশের সৌর বিদ্যুৎ পদ্ধতি জনপ্রিয় করনে জনসাধারনকে আগ্রহী করে তুলবে। এর ফলে দেশের চলমান বিদ্যুৎ ঘাটতি পূরনে সৌর বিদ্যুৎ বিশেষ ভূমিকা রাখতে পারবে বলে আমরা আশা করছি। মেলায় স্থাপিত সৌর ঘরে উৎপাদিত বিদ্যুৎ দিয়ে বাতি, ফ্যান, এসি সবই চলবে। এ ছাড়াও মেলায় দেশ বিদেশের ৮০টি স্টলে প্রদর্শিত হবে পাওয়ার, সোলার, রিন্যুয়েবল এনার্জি, গ্রীন টেকনোলজী, হারবাল পন্য সামগ্রী, ইকোট্যুরিজম ও পর্যটন বিষয়ক আবাসন।
রাজধানীর শেরেবাংলানগরে বঙ্গবন্ধু আন্তর্জাতিক সম্মেলন কেন্দ্রে প্রতিদিন সকাল ৯টা থেকে রাত ৮টা পর্যন্ত মেলা খোলা থাকবে। বিনা টিকেটে সর্বসাধারনের জন্য এ মেলা উন্মুক্ত থাকবে। আগামী ২১ আগস্ট ২০১০ এ মেলার সমাপ্তি হবে। সেভ দ্য আর্থ ইন্টারন্যাশনাল ও ড্রিমস এক্সিবিশন যৌথভাবে মেলাটি আয়োজন করছে।সংবাদ বিজ্ঞপ্তি