Industrial units without gas

When 400 industrial units located in industrial belts in and around Dhaka City cannot go into operation for absence of natural gas and power over a period ranging from several months to four years, it glaringly exposes the weakness of government policies and planning. Given the go-ahead, in the first place, to those gas-based units on the mistaken assumption that gas supply will be plentiful, the entire policy paper has turned more than deceptive. Now the investors of the completed factories discover to their horror that the possibility of getting gas connection is a remote possibility. And the industrial belts mentioned here are not the only ones to remain hungry for gas, there are newly established industrial units in Chittagong and elsewhere which are facing the same problem. No country -poor or rich, can afford leaving such big investments idle for months and years, particularly after completion of their part of the required formalities. Also, the investors perhaps without exception have bank credit components on which they have to pay interest charges. This is no ideal condition for encouraging investment -foreign or local - in the country.

It is unbelievable that projection about future output of natural gas could be so off target. The indication is that the existing gas wells are running out of gas and unless a clear idea can be formed about offshore gas deposits and their use for industrial purpose is ensured soon, gas-based industries will have to wait further or they must be converted into types using other forms of energy. Alternatives are not many. One viable option is coal but then environmental consideration cannot be dismissed. A better option is obviously electricity. Some progress has been made in power generation but that is not enough to run the plants and factories built on the assumption that there would be no dearth of gas supply. So far, no large power plant could be made operational although a couple of them are expected to go into generation of power this year. The coal-fired power plant to be set up at Rampal, Bagerhat has kicked off debates about its environmental viability for reasons understandable. Now that the country has large coal deposits, there is no reason why this domestic source of energy will not be used in order to avoid a serious energy crisis.

There is no alternative to a comprehensive energy policy. The country should immediately embark on mapping its energy sources including those under the seabed. Any go-slow policy is expected to prove disastrous. Already the country is burdened with a population size far larger than it should have. When the climate-induced exigencies are added to this, a picture is likely to emerge where planning for infrastructure and utility will be crucial. If there is adequate infrastructure and energy, investment and production will continue to bring dividends for the country. There is no point creating white elephants. The country's scarce resources have to be used meticulously in an effort to drive its productive engines. Let it be clear that the task of exploring energy sources for their proper use holds the key to its economic progress.