Experts have urged the government to speed up coal mining policy, without which coal extraction is not possible. “We cannot afford to sit idle on huge coal reserves of our own due to only lack of a decision about the ways of extraction,” said Aminul Haque, a professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
Bangladesh has five coal fields with around 2.55 billion tonnes of reserves but is unable to extract them until a national coal policy has been finalised. The government has already completed negotiation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for conducting a Master Plan Study on Coal Power Development, officials said.
Sources said, Bangladesh is to build five 500 megawatt (MW) coal-fired electricity plants at a total cost of nearly $3.5 billion to tackle electricity supply problems. The process for setting up of the plants has already been started and it will take four years to finish the job. The tender will be floated soon to build the plants, which when completed will greatly ease the nagging power crisis. Both local and global firms will be eligible to participate.
Coal for the new plants may be imported from India, Indonesia or Australia, the official said, adding the government had committed to raise power generation to 7,000 MW in 2014 from 5,000 MW now. About 80 percent of electricity in Bangladesh is produced by natural gas, but at present the country with 13.54 trillion cubic feet of proven and recoverable gas reserves faces up to 250 million cubic feet of gas shortages a day, officials say. At present the country faces a daily electricity shortage of up to 2,000 MW a day.
Bangladesh has five coal fields with around 2.55 billion tonnes of reserves but is unable to extract them until a national coal policy has been finalised. The government has already completed negotiation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for conducting a Master Plan Study on Coal Power Development, officials said.
Sources said, Bangladesh is to build five 500 megawatt (MW) coal-fired electricity plants at a total cost of nearly $3.5 billion to tackle electricity supply problems. The process for setting up of the plants has already been started and it will take four years to finish the job. The tender will be floated soon to build the plants, which when completed will greatly ease the nagging power crisis. Both local and global firms will be eligible to participate.
Coal for the new plants may be imported from India, Indonesia or Australia, the official said, adding the government had committed to raise power generation to 7,000 MW in 2014 from 5,000 MW now. About 80 percent of electricity in Bangladesh is produced by natural gas, but at present the country with 13.54 trillion cubic feet of proven and recoverable gas reserves faces up to 250 million cubic feet of gas shortages a day, officials say. At present the country faces a daily electricity shortage of up to 2,000 MW a day.
Source: Weekly Economic Times, Bangladesh
Link : http://www.weeklyeconomictimes.com/home-news-details.php?recordID=3915
Date: 01 June 2009
Date: 01 June 2009
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