Coal only option to mitigate crippling power crisis: Tuku

FE Report

The nation has no option but to explore coal to generate electricity for urgently resolving the country’s crippling power crisis, state minister for energy Shamsul Haque Tuku said Sunday.

“Where is the problem to use our natural resource for the wellbeing of the nation?” Tuku asked, slamming the group who is opposing extraction of coal through open pit system from the Phulbari coalfield.

“They should point out which of our agreements have gone against the nation. None should obstruct extraction of coals. These kinds of actions are not patriotic. We must use coal to mitigate the power crisis,” he said.

The minister was pointing his fingers at the Oil, Gas, Coal and Port Protection Committee which has over the past five years opposed any government move for open pit system which it says would displace hundreds of thousands of poor villagers.

The minister said the government would try all possible means to generate additional power including stepping up gas exploration and using renewable energy sources such as solar panels. The State Minister was addressing a roundtable on “Energy Source for Power Generation” jointly organised by Power and Energy fortnightly and German development agency GTZ.

Since coming to the power, the government has increased power generation to 4,147 megawatt (mw) from 3200mw by renovating and improving management of power plants, Tuku said. Besides, work on generating 360mw electricity from the Haripur power plant is also underway, he added. The state minister said more valuable natural resources are lying underground in Bangladesh than the resources visible above earth. “But above all we have to make maximum use of our resources to tackle the growing power and energy crisis. It is a must to ensure a better future for everyone,” he said.

Parliamentary standing committee chairman on power, energy and mineral resources Shubid Ali Bhuiyan, ex-state ministers Rafiqul Islam, Iqbal Hasan Mahmood and AKM Mosharraf Hossain, former Director of Petrobangla Muinul Ahsan and Director of Cairn Energy ABA Siraj Uddowlah also spoke at the roundtable.

Chairman of Chemical Engineering Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Dr Ijaz Hossain presented the key note paper suggesting possible energy sources to help generate maximum electricity in the next three to four years.

The BUET professor said 1000 megawatt (MW) electricity can be added to the national grid in the shortest possible time by 2010-11 utilizing alternative sources of energy. He said 200mw can be generated each from captive electricity and dual fuel of gas and diesel, 100mw each from naphtha condensate and furnace oil and 50m each from bagasse, poultry litter, poultry manure, rice husk, jute waste, landfill gas, solar photovoltaic panels, wind and hydro.

The keynote presenter however emphasised reforming energy pricing, enhancing conservation, energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy sources as well as importing coal for meeting immediate requirement for energy.

Source: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2009/05/18/66879.html

Date: 18 May 2009, Bangladesh