The New Nation - Internet Edition

IT is reported that the Petrobangla may stop the supply of gas to eight power plants, because their production is not cost-effective. This is because gas reserves, if not explored and developed from new found fields, will be totally exhausted by 2011. The Chief Adviser has reportedly instructed the relevant official agencies, the Petrobangla and the Power Development Board, to conduct a study on the prevailing conditions in the power sector. The power plants that were set up in the seventies and eighties of the past century are in dilapidated shapes. These units fail to generate power efficiently and their output is inadequate to meet the demands of consumers.

The existing 19 power plants fail to generate enough electricity and the shortage reaches the range of 1500 megawatts a day. The plants, installed and operated over the past thirty to forty years, have lost more than fifty percent of their original generation efficiency or remain closed for years together. In view of the upturn in the demand for power more power-plants have to be set up for generating electricity.

Gas, so far used for generation of electricity, may not be available in coming years. Alternate natural bounties including coal and solar energy plus biogas have to be used. This has to be ensured with substantive policy decisions based on national consensus. The decision of the incumbent government to stop the setting up of new gas-based power plants may have to be followed up by subsequent political governments. The generation of power has to be kept uppermost on the basis of long-term plans. Massive power outage now being experienced has to be brought under control. Cost-effective use of limited energy resources has to be ensured at all costs.