Govt plans to adopt Coal Sector Master Plan
M Azizur Rahman | Thursday, 7 August 2008
The government has planned to adopt the country's first Coal Sector Master Plan (CSMP) for proper utilisation of the country's large coal reserves and ensure energy security in the coming years, officials said.
"This plan will be formulated in line with the proposed national coal policy to expedite coal sector development," energy secretary Mohammad Mohsin told the FE Wednesday.
He said the proposed coal policy, which is now awaiting nod from the council of advisers, has stressed the necessity for adoption of the CSMP to overcome the country's energy crisis.
Energy ministry sources said the coal master plan will be aimed at achieving the ultimate target of coal production in phases within the next two decades.
The government has a vision to make electricity available for all by 2020 when the demand will be 17,800 MW.
To reach that level Bangladesh needs to raise electricity generation by 1000 MW annually, the energy ministry officials said
Without exploitation of coal the country will not be able to generate such huge quantity of electricity.
The proposed CSMP will help achieve the mounting of electricity generation from coal.
If adopted it will be the third such master plan to develop the country's energy sector after the already adopted Power System Master Plan (PSMP) and Gas Sector Master Plan (GSMP).
Energy ministry officials said the government is now concentrating on coal extraction to feed the coal-fired power plants as the prospect of future gas-fired power plant is diminishing due to dwindling supply of natural gas.
The ministry has already informed its inability to supply gas to eight planned large and medium gas-fired power plant projects having a total proposed generation capacity of 1,700MW.
Electricity generation of around 700 MW is also now being hampered due to gas supply crunch.
The country has around 2.5 billion tonnes of coal reserves, equivalent to 60 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas, and most of this reserves remained untapped.
Currently, the country generates only around 250 MW of electricity from coal from its lone coal-fired power plant at Barapukuria.
More than 80 per cent of Bangladesh's electricity is generated from natural gas, while nearly 5.0 per cent from coal and the remaining 15 per cent from hydro and liquid fuel.
Due to absence of any concrete plan the country's prospective coal sector remained untapped for years and sole dependency has been on natural gas for almost all sorts of energy demands.
The country's coal has potentials to generate electricity of around 15,000 MW in next 15-20 years if the coal reserves are properly utilised, a senior energy ministry official said.
"This plan will be formulated in line with the proposed national coal policy to expedite coal sector development," energy secretary Mohammad Mohsin told the FE Wednesday.
He said the proposed coal policy, which is now awaiting nod from the council of advisers, has stressed the necessity for adoption of the CSMP to overcome the country's energy crisis.
Energy ministry sources said the coal master plan will be aimed at achieving the ultimate target of coal production in phases within the next two decades.
The government has a vision to make electricity available for all by 2020 when the demand will be 17,800 MW.
To reach that level Bangladesh needs to raise electricity generation by 1000 MW annually, the energy ministry officials said
Without exploitation of coal the country will not be able to generate such huge quantity of electricity.
The proposed CSMP will help achieve the mounting of electricity generation from coal.
If adopted it will be the third such master plan to develop the country's energy sector after the already adopted Power System Master Plan (PSMP) and Gas Sector Master Plan (GSMP).
Energy ministry officials said the government is now concentrating on coal extraction to feed the coal-fired power plants as the prospect of future gas-fired power plant is diminishing due to dwindling supply of natural gas.
The ministry has already informed its inability to supply gas to eight planned large and medium gas-fired power plant projects having a total proposed generation capacity of 1,700MW.
Electricity generation of around 700 MW is also now being hampered due to gas supply crunch.
The country has around 2.5 billion tonnes of coal reserves, equivalent to 60 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas, and most of this reserves remained untapped.
Currently, the country generates only around 250 MW of electricity from coal from its lone coal-fired power plant at Barapukuria.
More than 80 per cent of Bangladesh's electricity is generated from natural gas, while nearly 5.0 per cent from coal and the remaining 15 per cent from hydro and liquid fuel.
Due to absence of any concrete plan the country's prospective coal sector remained untapped for years and sole dependency has been on natural gas for almost all sorts of energy demands.
The country's coal has potentials to generate electricity of around 15,000 MW in next 15-20 years if the coal reserves are properly utilised, a senior energy ministry official said.