In dire need of policy decision for use of coal
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
The use of its coal reserves by Bangladesh at the soonest is now too pressing a need. Already, very valuable time has been wasted on dithering, indecision and brooding and engaging in controversies over the use of coal. If such delays could be prevented and policies designed to extract and use coal on a large scale were implemented, the country in that case would not be so endangered today by a looming and worsening energy crisis.
Power is central to economic activities - either to maintain them or to increase them. But Bangladesh has been suffering from an acute power crisis for some years. The crisis is considerably not due to non-establishment of new power plants. The existing and operating power plants cannot be run even at half of their capacities from a severe shortage of gas. The big power plants in the country are largely gas fired and insufficiency of gas is hazarding their optimum production very seriously indeed. The way exploration activities for gas are progressing, there is no surety that supplies of it can be augmented at an early date from discoveries of major reserves. The projections are alarming which say that at the current rate of production from the gas reserves, the same would deplete by the year 2011 which is not a far away date. Thus, only three years remains before the country's known gas reserves would reportedly get largely depleted. It is very imperative to press into use other energy resources to prevent the available gas reserves from depleting fast. The remaining gas reserves can then be considered as a strategic reserve to be saved and used sparingly while the stress would be on much greater use of alternatives.
The major alternative to gas can only be coal which Bangladesh has in abundance but lying unused at the moment. All kinds of debates have so far frustrated its use for the national economy. But the same should now come to a stop with the premium put on immediate large scale utilisation of coal to produce vital energy to run the wheels of the economy. No more endless debates about the best way of extracting coal -- whether open pit or underground-- should be allowed to hold back steps to be taken immediately to start coal extraction in a big way. The government should opt for that method that would ensure optimum extraction. The quarried coal will have to be mainly used to generate power from coal fired power plants. Environmentalists and others will have their axe to grind against large scale use of coal and its optimum extraction. But in view of the grave energy crisis that has already descended on the economy, the decision should be taken sooner that later about accelerating policies to use coal for the lift-ups of the entire national economy.
According to reports, thousands of industries in different parts of the country, could not start operation from not getting enough power supplies. Capital machineries in them are sitting idly. In other cases, industries are using only a part of their capacities from not having adequate power supply. Many potential investors are not coming forward to invest in manufacturing out of a similar concern for power. Thus, economic growth, productivity and output, are all threatened. But this situation can rapidly change for the better with power production increasing. This badly needed increase in power production can be achieved quicker than any other way by extracting coal from the reserves and using the same to produce power.
Power is central to economic activities - either to maintain them or to increase them. But Bangladesh has been suffering from an acute power crisis for some years. The crisis is considerably not due to non-establishment of new power plants. The existing and operating power plants cannot be run even at half of their capacities from a severe shortage of gas. The big power plants in the country are largely gas fired and insufficiency of gas is hazarding their optimum production very seriously indeed. The way exploration activities for gas are progressing, there is no surety that supplies of it can be augmented at an early date from discoveries of major reserves. The projections are alarming which say that at the current rate of production from the gas reserves, the same would deplete by the year 2011 which is not a far away date. Thus, only three years remains before the country's known gas reserves would reportedly get largely depleted. It is very imperative to press into use other energy resources to prevent the available gas reserves from depleting fast. The remaining gas reserves can then be considered as a strategic reserve to be saved and used sparingly while the stress would be on much greater use of alternatives.
The major alternative to gas can only be coal which Bangladesh has in abundance but lying unused at the moment. All kinds of debates have so far frustrated its use for the national economy. But the same should now come to a stop with the premium put on immediate large scale utilisation of coal to produce vital energy to run the wheels of the economy. No more endless debates about the best way of extracting coal -- whether open pit or underground-- should be allowed to hold back steps to be taken immediately to start coal extraction in a big way. The government should opt for that method that would ensure optimum extraction. The quarried coal will have to be mainly used to generate power from coal fired power plants. Environmentalists and others will have their axe to grind against large scale use of coal and its optimum extraction. But in view of the grave energy crisis that has already descended on the economy, the decision should be taken sooner that later about accelerating policies to use coal for the lift-ups of the entire national economy.
According to reports, thousands of industries in different parts of the country, could not start operation from not getting enough power supplies. Capital machineries in them are sitting idly. In other cases, industries are using only a part of their capacities from not having adequate power supply. Many potential investors are not coming forward to invest in manufacturing out of a similar concern for power. Thus, economic growth, productivity and output, are all threatened. But this situation can rapidly change for the better with power production increasing. This badly needed increase in power production can be achieved quicker than any other way by extracting coal from the reserves and using the same to produce power.