The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Petrobangla and Power Development Board (PDB) will conduct a joint survey across the country to identify the least-efficient power plants to divert gas supply to new plants.

Official sources said the two state-owned entities have moved to take such an initiative following an instruction from the Chief Adviser to ensure an efficient and justified use of natural gas.

Petrobangla also put forward a gas rationing proposal at a high-profile recent meeting at the Chief Adviser's office in his presence arguing that it is unable to ensure adequate gas supply in the present situation due to insufficient production.

But, the CA outright rejected the proposal and instructed Petrobangla not to take any initiative that might hamper industrial production.

He also instructed both Petrobangla and PDB to ensure efficient and justified use of the natural gas as the country is suffering from a severe crisis of non-liquefied fossil fuel.

After the CA's directive, the Power and Energy Ministry has instructed Petrobangla and PDB to conduct a joint survey to identify the least efficient power plants that consume more gas but produce less electricity, according to the sources.

PDB officials said normally the old power plants which have already expired their official lifetime but still remained in operation to meet the emergency need of power supply are the most inefficient plants.

"We've more than 15 generation units at different places which are 30-40 years' old and they have lost more than 50 percent of their original generation capacity," a senior PDB official told UNB.

A top Petrobangla official said there is a PDB-Petrobangla standing committee to look after all sorts of bilateral issues between the two entities in the power and energy sector.

"That committee will conduct the joint survey and identify the least efficient or inefficient power plants and finally make a recommendation for their shutdown and divert gas supply to new power plants," he said.

He pointed out that the main motive behind the joint survey is to divert gas supply to most efficient and new power plants which produce more electricity with less consumption of natural gas.

"If we're successful in our move, we can have more electricity with the existing gas supply through its efficient and proper use," the official said on condition of anonymity.

In recent months, the caretaker government moved to install a number of rental power plants to get a quick remedy to the chronic power crisis.

But that move has failed to yield the expected result due to gas crisis. However, the government has been able to installed only 6 rental power plants having the total capacity of about 250 MW.

It is expected that the latest Ptrobangla-PDB move will facilitate gas supply to the newly installed plants to generate electricity.