Strategising energy options for longer term
Thursday, 9 April 2009
THE gas deposits in the existing fields of the country will start depleting from 2011 until the entire proven gas reserves are commercially exhausted by 2020, if new fields are not discovered sooner than later. This situation has tended to create a state of fear and speculation about the country's future energy security. Will then the economy and life at large come to a grinding halt after 2020? To pile on the worry, the international oil and gas companies that enjoy the right to operate and explore 10 gas blocks, including the six that are already producing gas, have meanwhile wound up their exploration activities one by one. Reportedly the reason is after the initial seismic surveys they failed to find luck in any of the other gas blocks excluding Block 7, which is yet to be explored by the US oil giant Chevron. But if the past experience is any guide, then it would not be wise to put all the proverbial eggs of hope in the remaining basket of Block 7, which will give its survey results in 2011. Needless to say, all these developments do not bode well for the nation's future energy security.
Against this backdrop, the government has decided that from now on the existing power plants, most of which run on gas, have to be converted into 'dual-fuel' users instead of just one. Of the other kinds of fuel, Bangladesh has a large deposit of coal in the five mines in its northern region. If the coal of those mines could be properly extracted, the country will be able to ward off the danger staring in its face for the next four decades. Anyway, the government has made dual-fuel option mandatory for the power plants of the country. According to this new arrangement, the power plants will have to use liquid fuel like diesel, furnace oil or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as well coal as the other option after gas. The options will be made conditional in the tenders to be invited for power plants. In addition to this, the tenders will require of the bidders to opt for fuels that are available near the location of the particular projects. True, such conditions are likely to raise the cost of the projects as well as the power they would produce from the plants. But the nation is left with few options other than adopting such measures if it is to confront the challenges in a befitting way.
The power ministry is also thinking of austerity measures in the use of electricity. Terming this move 'day-light saving plan', the power ministry is trying to have the government pass an order to set the clocks ahead by one hour. And, to keep pace with this new time regime, the work of the day in the offices, in the educational institutions and other workplaces will start one hour earlier in the day and, accordingly, will also close one hour earlier. Once people get accustomed to this new order of time, it is hoped that they would go to bed as well as rise earlier and in this manner save a lot of power.
This is undoubtedly a novel idea. But before establishing it through a government order, it will be well-advised to go for taking public opinion about what their perception is about such a measure. That would also help to sharpen the idea further or even to come up with a still better idea on the proposed day-light saving plan.
Against this backdrop, the government has decided that from now on the existing power plants, most of which run on gas, have to be converted into 'dual-fuel' users instead of just one. Of the other kinds of fuel, Bangladesh has a large deposit of coal in the five mines in its northern region. If the coal of those mines could be properly extracted, the country will be able to ward off the danger staring in its face for the next four decades. Anyway, the government has made dual-fuel option mandatory for the power plants of the country. According to this new arrangement, the power plants will have to use liquid fuel like diesel, furnace oil or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as well coal as the other option after gas. The options will be made conditional in the tenders to be invited for power plants. In addition to this, the tenders will require of the bidders to opt for fuels that are available near the location of the particular projects. True, such conditions are likely to raise the cost of the projects as well as the power they would produce from the plants. But the nation is left with few options other than adopting such measures if it is to confront the challenges in a befitting way.
The power ministry is also thinking of austerity measures in the use of electricity. Terming this move 'day-light saving plan', the power ministry is trying to have the government pass an order to set the clocks ahead by one hour. And, to keep pace with this new time regime, the work of the day in the offices, in the educational institutions and other workplaces will start one hour earlier in the day and, accordingly, will also close one hour earlier. Once people get accustomed to this new order of time, it is hoped that they would go to bed as well as rise earlier and in this manner save a lot of power.
This is undoubtedly a novel idea. But before establishing it through a government order, it will be well-advised to go for taking public opinion about what their perception is about such a measure. That would also help to sharpen the idea further or even to come up with a still better idea on the proposed day-light saving plan.