Opinion
Fuel & Power Options for Bangladesh
S.A. Mansoor 

A report on the subject was published on 20th February 2008 in the Daily Star. It stated that Professor Tamim identified nuclear power, gas supply from Myanmar and power import from India, as logical possibilities to meet the power and fuel requirements of Bangladesh at an AmCham meeting.

One wonders why he did not mention and identify the maximum utilization of our coal resources as the most available option? Was he trying to avoid annoying the "intellectuals led" anti-mining group; trying to prevent the use of our important resource? Logically this should be of topmost priority for our government. They must take this up at the soonest as "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush" which sums up our logical priority.

We should pragmatically go all out for the recovery and utilization of our valuable coal; in whatever manner; be it deep shaft or open pit mining. This must go ahead. Despite the "sound and fury" from our intellectuals, self-proclaimed experts (?) on the technical subject, I wonder why this important topic was raised at the AmCham meeting? Our next resources in order of priority should be nuclear power; based on the total safety of the nuclear fuel and easy disposal of its waste for "Pebble Bed Nuclear Power plants. A 100MW plant with no containment zone can be easily installed in a land area of no more 100X100 meter plant site. A number of these totally safe nuclear power plants are operating in South Africa; and the design of this radical nuclear reactor is their invention. 

Unfortunately, it seems our "pundits" are not aware of it. Although the information is just an Internet click away. Coupled with additional power and fuel source development, we must go all out for power conservation; not just power rationing (our non-technical approach); but through using only fuel and power efficient equipment in the transport, industry and items of daily utility including even the simple and common mobile phone. There has been no study on the power requirement for this. However, just as a guess, though not wildly wrong, we may be consuming around 10 to 15 MWHr power per day for charging all the mobile phones in use in Bangladesh. But do we know; or seriously cared to know which brand and model of mobile phone consumes the least electricity for say 30 minutes of charging? This can be easily found out in any reasonable practical physics or electrical engineering facility in Bangladesh; of which many exist! That sums up our attitude regarding power shortage; "all talk and no action"! I am even willing to volunteer to work on this matter for mobile phones and common electrical utility items with any technical institution that wants to provide this nationally important data; which can show us the route to power conservation. We must not forget that every KW saved is the same as an additional KW produced.