Experts' body likely to recommend 'test case' open-pit mining of coal

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S M Jahangir
The experts' committee on finalisation of the proposed National Coal Policy has agreed, in principle, to make some major recommendations, including the development of a single open-pit mining project as a 'test case', amid strong opposition from various civil society groups.
The committee has also decided to give its opinion in favour of exporting coking coal only instead of general one, considering the fact that the country has limited scope for using such high-value coal, sources said.
Besides, it also reached an agreement on keeping the government's royalty unchanged at the previous rates of 5.0 per cent to 6.0 per cent from the export of such coal.
The said decisions came at the 17th meeting of the experts' committee, which was held Friday at the Petrobangla office in the city, a meeting source told the FE.
In last June, the government formed the 12-member experts' committee, headed by a former vice chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Abdul Matin Patwari, to finalise the proposed coal policy.
Sources, however, said the committee's latest decisions mark some shifts from its previous positions.
Earlier, the panel of experts agreed that the decision regarding the coal mining method would be taken on the basis of the geographic and social conditions, and also on commercial viability of a particular mining project, sources mentioned.
Besides, it also gave its opinion in favour of taking the overall mining development activities under the total authority of the government.
On the other hand, the experts' had also conceptually agreed previously that the exports of local coal should not be allowed for the greater interest of the country's long-term energy security.
Rather, exports can only be allowed, if surplus coal is available in the country, the committee viewed.
Very recently, the committee held meetings with the stakeholders, foreign companies willing to develop coal mining project in Bangladesh, economists, environmental activists and some civil society groups to make the proposed policy useful and well accepted for all.
A few months back, members of the experts committee had conducted a two-day site visit to the northern region and had extensive talks with the stakeholders, sources said.
Sources close to the committee said it is expected to place its final recommendations before the government by the end of this month.
The government wants an early adoption of a coal policy in order to take decision on the pending multi-billion investment proposals for the development of coalmines in Bangladesh by foreign companies, including the Asia Energy and Tata Group, they mentioned.
Much earlier, the Energy Division had prepared the draft National Coal Policy, giving emphasis on ensuring domestic energy security for at least 50 years and also kept the option of public sector investment in coalmine development.
The immediate past BNP-led alliance government took up the initiative to frame the first ever coal policy and revised it several times, but the issues of coal export, mining method, environment and licensing regime stood in the way of its approval.
Meanwhile, some experts, environmental activist and members of the civil have been protesting against the development of any open-pit coal-mining project in the country.