Wood Mackenzie LTD, the consultant of Petrobangla and World Bank for preparing Gas Sector Master Plan and Strategy for Bangladesh recently submitted its revised interim report reflecting and addressing the various comments of stakeholders on its earlier submitted interim report. There had been a day-long roundtable discussion on the content of the report and its recommendations.

Bangladesh has a Power System Master Plan (PSMP) but conspicuously there is no Gas Sector Master Plan (GSMP) to complement it, although natural gas accounts for about 90 percent of power generation. In absence of GSMP and lack of effective coordination between the key sectors country’s energy security has become vulnerable.

There have been talks about updating National Energy Policy (NEP) and formulation of Gas Act. But it has not happened yet and can not be guaranteed when these important documents will be approved. In absence of enabling acts and policies an Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is not yet fully functional. Power sector has nosedived into terrible mess and gas sector is also sliding into a corridor of uncertainty.

In the backdrop of above and in consideration of the value of the GSMP, the author has attempted to analyze the major findings and recommendations of the interim report of and would appeal to all concerned that this report should not gather dust like similar other reports prepared earlier by various international agencies for improving the efficiency and governance of the gas sector. full report

According to the deliberations so far made on the subject, regional cooperation in the energy sector in South Asia appear to include among others:

• Exchange of information and technical discussions among the experts of respective countries

•  Integrated energy lines for electricity gas, oil as the basis for integrated and prosperous economic future of South Asia

• Multilateral energy trade to be promoted with exchange of experiences in institutional and pricing reform in the energy sector

• Rural energy supply promoted along with noncommercial and renewable forms of energy and success story of any country shall be replicated

• Use of CNG in transport sector

• Adoption of joint environmental strategy in international forum by the South Asian countries

• Cooperation in developing indigenous energy resources of individual countries providing technical and any other assistance by applicable countries

• Setting up small and medium scale energy oriented industries for benefit of the people of the border areas.

• Initiate cooperation and if needed joint ventures for exploration of oil and gas in the region

• United efforts for importing natural gas from the sources advantageous to the countries of the region.

It goes without saying that interconnections of power systems of contiguously countries and their coordinated operation provide immense technical and economic benefits. These will cause savings in power plant investments, allowing operational freedom and effective utilization of output, increase the quality of supply and also reducing the environmental damages. Such systems are in place in Europe and elsewhere since long. Integrating the power transmission lines from Pakistan to India and then to Bangladesh would be an ideal case of cooperation. As an immediate step to achieve the objectives, the interconnection of energy lines with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal may definitely be taken up. full report