Businesses express concern over energy crisis
Businesses yesterday expressed concern over running production in industrial units because of ongoing power cuts, low pressure of gas in supply lines and high energy prices.
Many industrial units, especially export-oriented small and medium garment units, are said to be having to subsequently delay shipments.
The concerns were expressed at a seminar on "Energy Security for Sustainable Development of Industrial Sector" organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) at its Dhaka premises.
Exporters, importers, textile millers, business chamber leaders and businesspersons from almost all kinds of industrial sectors, government high-ups and experts attended the seminar.
Mansoor Ahmed, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said the export target may not be achieved if the export-oriented garment sector suffers power cuts.
Azizul Hakim, a director of the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BCMEA), said the ceramic industries need gas for 24 hours and currently they are getting it for 12 hours.
As a result, the ceramic industries are facing financial losses every day, he said. "Please keep the ceramic industries out of load shedding," Hakim added.
Ghulam Mohammed Alomgir, chairman of Max Group, said gas discovered in Bhola should be used for industries in its adjoining locality as soon as possible.
He also suggested introducing super quick power plants to meet the demand for power as soon as possible.
"We need energy security," said Abul Kasem Khan, director in charge of an FBCCI committee on power and energy, adding that the world is currently going through a bad patch for the Russia-Ukraine war.
"Coal based power plants are needed. The current reserve of coal can ensure 72 years of energy sustainability in the country," Khan said.
Helal Uddin, president of the Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, said power cuts should be stopped as soon as possible to save small traders and shop owners across the country.
Mohammad Ali, managing director of the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (Bapex), said there is a possibility of finding 618 million cubic feet of gas by 2025.
Some 150 billion cubic metre of gas will be added to the national pipeline within one week, he said.
Md Jashim Uddin, president of the FBCCI, also said Bangladesh can go for setting up coal-fired power plants as had been done by many other countries.
Ahmad Kaikaus, principal secretary to the prime minister, said coal, gas and oil are interlinked.
"If the price of one item increases, it affects the others as well," he said.
"There is little scope to give any assurance to you at this meeting," Kaikaus said regarding the current demand for power and energy and prices.
Badrul Imam, a former professor of the geology department of the University of Dhaka, said the situation worsened as new gas fields had not been explored by Bangladesh for many years.
Bangladesh is one of the least explored countries with regard to gas, he said.
In Bangladesh, gas is discovered in one out of every three wells that are dug whereas the global average is one in every five. For many countries it is one out of every 10, he said.
So, Bangladesh is fortunate in this sense, Imam said, adding that so far Bangladesh explored only 100 gas wells but even India's Tripura, which is 10 times smaller than Bangladesh, explored 170 wells.
It clearly indicates that the exploration rate of gas wells in Bangladesh is too low, he added.
Imam also said Myanmar has been exporting gas from the sea but Bangladesh could not yet explore resources within its maritime boundary, which was established through a legal battle with Myanmar in 2012.
Mohammad Ali Khokon, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), said gas was the only raw material over which there were issues for the textile and garment sector, all the while the country has become the second largest exporter of apparel items.
More than $5 billion worth of textile and garment could have been exported from the country had gas been supplied properly. Consultations among the apex trade bodies are needed prior to any increases brought about in the prices of gas and power, he said.
Saiful Islam, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), urged for exploring for coal as soon as possible, reasoning that the high price and shortfall of gas were posing a threat to industrial production.
Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser to the prime minister, said the Russian and Ukrainian agriculture and industries were out of the purview of power cuts in an effort to safeguard their economies.
He called upon people to accept some sacrifices considering this is a bad patch for the Russia-Ukraine war.
He also said he cannot make any big promise regarding gas but was trying to ensure its availability.
Industries must look for alternative fuels subject to the availability of coal, liquefied petroleum gas, oil and biomass fuels of all types, said Ijaz Hossain, a former professor of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in a keynote.