Load shedding to be resolved by end of Sept: Nasrul

State minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid on Sunday said the ongoing routine power outage would come to an end at the end of September.

He also hinted that fuel oil prices will be adjusted if it decreases in the global markets.

Hamid was addressing a seminar on ‘Energy security in Bangladesh: Volatile international market’ organised by Energy Reporters’ Forum of Bangladesh.

He also said downward adjustments to fuel oil prices will be made whenever international prices fall.

To ease the primary energy crisis in the country, the government should go back to execute the Energy Master Plan 2010 which was coal based, experts said.

Hamid added that during any crisis period, any long term plan should be withheld. Besides, coal-fired power plants like Rampal, Payra could be commissioned soon.

However, 10 to 16 percent of oil based rental power plants will remain operational to cope with any emergency situation.

Regarding off-shore gas exploration, the junior minister said the international gas companies are not interested in our Bay due uncompetitive tariff structure.

He claimed that some three gas giants were invited for off-shore exploration but they departed on the same ground.

As there is a prediction that demand for gas will decline by 2026, the international gas companies do not take interest in exploring natural gas in this country, he added.

Petrobangla Chairman Nazmul Ahsan said the production sharing contract (PSC) is under modification. Petrobangla will go for PSC bidding at the end of this year.

The government is also contemplating to extract coal, he said, adding, “We have 45 lakhs metric tonnes of coal that could be used for the next 6 years. Then we will extract coal."

Energy Reporters’ Forum’s former chairman Mollah Amzad Hossain placed the keynote paper.

He recommended the government to go back to coal based planning to ease the primary energy crisis.

Mollah Amzad said the government should extract coal from Fulbari and Khalaspir now to ensure fuel to the coal-fired power plant.

Prominent energy expert Prof Badrul Imam said, “Our local energy has been ignored. If the government would have put emphasis on local energy sources, today’s crisis could have been averted.”

Prof Shamsul Alam requested the state minister to follow the laws regarding fuel price adjustment.

He said, “According to the law, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) should be able to adjust prices instead of the administration."