The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Chittagong

The Chief Adviser's Special Assistant on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr M Tamim, yesterday said the government was actively considering to import gas from Myanmar to solve the severe crisis and ensure the country's economic growth.

The energy ministry, he said, would take further initiative to expedite the process of gas import from Myanmar "on the basis of outcome" of the foreign secretary's just-ended visit to Myanmar.

Tamim was speaking at a meeting of senior government officials and business leaders at the Chittagong Circuit House. The government, he said, took some measures, both interim and long term, like proportionate distribution of available gas to manage and overcome the current gas crisis. At the meeting the stakeholders were informed about the government's steps to overcome the shortage.

New wells have been drilled at the existing gas fields and steps sped up to make arrangements with local and foreign companies for the exploration of new gas and oil fields including in off-shore areas, said the special assistant.

These efforts, he said, could have started at least 3 years back. Delays in taking decisions on such crucial issues, he said, was causing enormous sufferings in many areas.

Import of gas from Myanmar, he said, was important for energy security and for having alternative source even if fresh oil and gas exploration efforts "give us" sufficient proven reserve. The special assistant said successful drilling of news wells at existing gas production facilities could provide 270 mmcft of gas per day.

"Our current daily shortfall is over 100 mmcft against the demand of over 1800 mmcft," he said. As the entrepreneurs expressed worries following the government's decision to stop new gas connections in the greater Chittagong region, Dr. Tamim said "new gas connections would depend on the availability of adequate gas at hand as there is no short-cut solution until new reserves were found."

New gas connections would be provided by February 2009, he said, to the industrial enterprises, but only against the commitments given earlier.

For energy diversity, in the backdrop of shrinking gas reserves across the world, he said, there was no alternative to nuclear power plants for large scale power production.

"I am not going to discard nuclear power plant, we should have at least one such plant for ensuring energy and power security," he said.

The government, he said, would certainly consider the option if there was a good proposal at hand.

Due to some effective steps taken to generate additional power, he said, the power shortage or load-shedding in upcoming summer would not be as severe as it was in during the last year

Total power generation, he said, was expected to reach around 4000 megawatts during upcoming peak summer against the predicted demand of 4700 megawatt, as the national grid would get an additional supply of 600 megawatts following overhauling of the existing production facilities.

An additional 350 megawatts of power was expected to get into the supply line by March, he said. Commissioner Hossain Jamil Deputy Commissioner, Ashraf Shamim, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and BGMEA First Vice President M A Salam also spoke.