Anisul Islam Noor :
About 2000 industrial units in the country cannot go into production due to lack of gas connections, though owners fear to be loan defaulters.
Admitting the scarcity of natural gas, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told reporters yesterday that gas connection of these industries will not be available before April 2018.
The Minister said in April 2018, the government would be able to increase gas supplies by 500 million cubic feet per day from imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and another 500 mmcfd in next few months.
The country is now running short of gas supplies to meet current demand, and then the industries will get gas supply on priority basis, he said.
It is very urgent for the country’s economy to ensure gas supplies as well as power supply to the industrial units, he said, adding that the government would be ready to meet the power demand by next year.
Three large coal-fired power plants Matarbari, Rampal and Payra with about 3,500MW combined capacity would be commissioned in
three years, he said, adding that another 5,000MW to 6,000MW power generation capacity would be added by 2023.
The shortage of gas supply interrupts power generation, industrial productions and household cooking, whereas expansion has been stuck for the past one decade, sources said.
Petrobangla, the state-run Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation, has been supplying approximately 2,750 mmcfd gas against the demand for more than 3,500 mmcfd.
About 2000 industrial units in the country cannot go into production due to lack of gas connections, though owners fear to be loan defaulters.
Admitting the scarcity of natural gas, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told reporters yesterday that gas connection of these industries will not be available before April 2018.
The Minister said in April 2018, the government would be able to increase gas supplies by 500 million cubic feet per day from imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and another 500 mmcfd in next few months.
The country is now running short of gas supplies to meet current demand, and then the industries will get gas supply on priority basis, he said.
It is very urgent for the country’s economy to ensure gas supplies as well as power supply to the industrial units, he said, adding that the government would be ready to meet the power demand by next year.
Three large coal-fired power plants Matarbari, Rampal and Payra with about 3,500MW combined capacity would be commissioned in
three years, he said, adding that another 5,000MW to 6,000MW power generation capacity would be added by 2023.
The shortage of gas supply interrupts power generation, industrial productions and household cooking, whereas expansion has been stuck for the past one decade, sources said.
Petrobangla, the state-run Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation, has been supplying approximately 2,750 mmcfd gas against the demand for more than 3,500 mmcfd.
