Anisul Islam Noor :
Although Bangladesh is set to achieve electricity for all by 2021, it is not clear yet how the target will be achieved, experts said.
With a view to providing adequate electricity to industries, businesses establishments and residences, the experts suggested that the government should ensure sustainable supply of primary fuel to the power plants. “Now it has become a great challenge as there is no progress in coal exploration from already discovered five coal fields in the country.”
Meanwhile, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has agreed that implementation of the ‘Power System Master Plan’ to ensure energy security with ‘vision 2021’ might be difficult. For this, he said that all concerned officials are not serious to achieve the target.
According to government conceived Mega Plan, the targeted power generation capacity by 2030 is 38,700 MW. Of this, 50 per cent is planned to be coal based. Domestic coal is planned to contribute 29 per cent (11,250MW) and imported coal 21.71 per cent (84,00MW), gas and LNG 22.8 per cent,
Nuclear power 10 per cent (4000MW), import 9.04 per cent (3,500MW) and others 6.98 percent (2700MW).
The government is repeatedly assuring that power supply to all will be materialized by 2021. If government cannot take decision of mining its own coal soon how its Power System Mega plan will be implemented? they asked.
Bangladesh has five discovered coal mines in the greater Dinajpur and Rangpur districts. The total reserve area of the five mines is less than 80 square kilometers and the present estimated reserve is about 3,565 million metric tons. Presently, mining is going on in only Barapukuria mine through applying ‘Long Wall Top Caving (LWTC)’ technology.
Mining experts and international consultants estimate that if the mine is properly explored through applying modern technology, our own coal can support generation of 10,000MW of electricity for 50 years.
“It is not difficult to assess how much agricultural output is going to be affected from open pit mining in an area of around 80 square kilometers,” said Saleque Sufi, an energy expert of the country.
Bangladesh has embarked on Vision 2021 for achieving middle income group country status. But one of the major challenges is achieving energy security and sustainable quality power supply to all at an affordable price, he said.
What else other than own coal can be better fuel option as depleting reserve of domestic natural gas can no longer be relied upon as mono fuel. Importing coal and LNG and importing power and gas from regional countries are time consuming as well as requires huge investment and huge capacity building of technical and managerial officials, added the energy expert.
In this circumstance, Bangladesh must review its own coal mining options with highest attention. Barapukuria and Phulbari are the two most ideal projects for open pit mining, Saleque Sufi opined.
Former Professor of Petroleum Engineering at BUET M Tamim suggested extraction of coal and setting up of coal based power plants in the country for ensuring sustainable energy.
“To meet the energy demand we will have to improve coal resources. Mistrust has crept among us in the last three decades,” Tamim, who was also a special assistant to the last caretaker government, said.
BUET Professor Ijaj Hossain said: “If we extract a fourth of our total coal reserves and use our gas reserves, 20,000 megawatts of power can be added to the national grid by 2030.”
He said that, coal at Phulbari mine should be extracted through open pit mining method. “India is extracting coal through open pit mining in 80 mines,” he added.
Although Bangladesh is set to achieve electricity for all by 2021, it is not clear yet how the target will be achieved, experts said.
With a view to providing adequate electricity to industries, businesses establishments and residences, the experts suggested that the government should ensure sustainable supply of primary fuel to the power plants. “Now it has become a great challenge as there is no progress in coal exploration from already discovered five coal fields in the country.”
Meanwhile, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has agreed that implementation of the ‘Power System Master Plan’ to ensure energy security with ‘vision 2021’ might be difficult. For this, he said that all concerned officials are not serious to achieve the target.
According to government conceived Mega Plan, the targeted power generation capacity by 2030 is 38,700 MW. Of this, 50 per cent is planned to be coal based. Domestic coal is planned to contribute 29 per cent (11,250MW) and imported coal 21.71 per cent (84,00MW), gas and LNG 22.8 per cent,
Nuclear power 10 per cent (4000MW), import 9.04 per cent (3,500MW) and others 6.98 percent (2700MW).
The government is repeatedly assuring that power supply to all will be materialized by 2021. If government cannot take decision of mining its own coal soon how its Power System Mega plan will be implemented? they asked.
Bangladesh has five discovered coal mines in the greater Dinajpur and Rangpur districts. The total reserve area of the five mines is less than 80 square kilometers and the present estimated reserve is about 3,565 million metric tons. Presently, mining is going on in only Barapukuria mine through applying ‘Long Wall Top Caving (LWTC)’ technology.
Mining experts and international consultants estimate that if the mine is properly explored through applying modern technology, our own coal can support generation of 10,000MW of electricity for 50 years.
“It is not difficult to assess how much agricultural output is going to be affected from open pit mining in an area of around 80 square kilometers,” said Saleque Sufi, an energy expert of the country.
Bangladesh has embarked on Vision 2021 for achieving middle income group country status. But one of the major challenges is achieving energy security and sustainable quality power supply to all at an affordable price, he said.
What else other than own coal can be better fuel option as depleting reserve of domestic natural gas can no longer be relied upon as mono fuel. Importing coal and LNG and importing power and gas from regional countries are time consuming as well as requires huge investment and huge capacity building of technical and managerial officials, added the energy expert.
In this circumstance, Bangladesh must review its own coal mining options with highest attention. Barapukuria and Phulbari are the two most ideal projects for open pit mining, Saleque Sufi opined.
Former Professor of Petroleum Engineering at BUET M Tamim suggested extraction of coal and setting up of coal based power plants in the country for ensuring sustainable energy.
“To meet the energy demand we will have to improve coal resources. Mistrust has crept among us in the last three decades,” Tamim, who was also a special assistant to the last caretaker government, said.
BUET Professor Ijaj Hossain said: “If we extract a fourth of our total coal reserves and use our gas reserves, 20,000 megawatts of power can be added to the national grid by 2030.”
He said that, coal at Phulbari mine should be extracted through open pit mining method. “India is extracting coal through open pit mining in 80 mines,” he added.
