These days if you browse PDB website you will find the power generation is impeded by low gas pressure and reduced supply. Petrobangla website does not have any mention of its production, transmission and distribution to various categories of customers, neither it tries to clarify the situation as stated by PDB in its website. Investors -- foreign and local -- are getting wrong signal. Whatever are the reasons for unstable and unsteady power supply throughout the country including Dhaka metropolis, the main blame is being tagged to restricted gas supply. For the sake of clarification and getting true picture, Energy & Power endeavored to drive deep into the crux of the problem.
Petrobangla currently can produce, transmit and deliver about 1,300 MMCFD gas from 54 wells of its 12 producing fields; 58 percent of which is supplied for power generation,24 percent is required for fertilizer production and remaining 28 percent is required for small industrial, commercial and domestic consumers. Cairn and Unocal from Sangu and Jalalabad gas fields produce 360-370 MMSCFD from 7 producing wells.
About 1800 km of gas transmission pipelines (6 inch to 30 inch) forming the national gas grid has an effective transmission capacity of 1330 MMCFD. The coincidental national peak demand is 1330-1340 MMCFD and the average daily demand 1270-1280 MMSCF.
Existing major gas load centers are Ashuganj, Ghorashal, Megnaghat area, Narayanganj, Tongi, greater Dhaka, Chittagong and Baghabari areas, while the major source of gas are greater Sylhet, Brahmanbaria and Sangu offshore.
Well-head pressure is the only driving potential of the existing gas transmission system. There is no well-head booster compressor or pipeline compressor at any gas transmission hub unlike any gas producing and transmitting country in the world.
Country's gas based power plants are located at Fenchuganj, Shahjibazar, Ashuganj, Ghorashal, Siddhirganj, Haripur, Meghnaghat, Baghabari, Shikalbaha and Raujan. Many of the power generating units are over-aged (outlived their design life) and consuming much higher volume of gas compared with modern fuel efficient power plants.
Power plants and gas transmission networks did not have integrated planning. As such long term overall prospect of gas availability were not envisioned while finalizing location of plants and expansion of their capacity. Therefore power plants planning and gas network planning does not complement each other.
Petrobangla can deliver the required volume of gas to the power plants at Fenchuganj, Shahjibazar, Ashuganj, Meghnaghat, Haripur and Siddhirganj without major problem. Gas to power plants in Raujan and Shikalbaha is also supplied in required volume unless Sangu gas field undergoes maintenance. But the problem lies in Ghorashal and Baghabari areas. Gas to Ghorashal is supplied from Narsingdi hub where three gas transmission pipelines converged. These are Titas-Narsingdi-Demra 14-inch transmission pipeline, Titas-Narsingdi-Joydevpur 16-inch/14-inch transmission pipeline and Monohardi-Narsingdi-Siddhirganj 20-inch diameter spurline.
These pipelines terminate at the outskirts of Dhaka city and have to cater the gas demand of Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur areas after meeting the requirement of Ghorashal. Apart from meeting major demand of power at Ghorashal Power Station (GPS), Titas has to maintain gas supply at designated high pressure to Urea Fertilizer Factory at Ghorashal (UFFG) and Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory (PUFF). Higher demand at Ghorashal also adversely affects the gas pressure at Joydevpur. Lower capacity transmission pipeline and commitment of gas at higher pressure to power plants and fertilizer factories are the reasons for the problem, the E&P analysis has found out.
Titas planners were neither farsighted nor rational on their thoughts and ideas. Gas supply to power plants in Ghorashal area in the peak hours from 5pm to 11pm encounters the problem. Normally TGTDCL can supply at the rate of 5.5 to 6 MMCFH (million cubic feet per hour) but consistent demand beyond that limit sets in panic. The major supply comes through Monohardi-Narsingdi spurline, which gets supply through Ashuganj-Elenga transmission pipeline. This pipeline also supplies gas to Siddhirganj through 20-inch dia Narsingdi-Siddhirganj spurline. The capacity of the mother carrier Ashuganj-Elenga transmission pipeline (B-B pipeline) has become over saturated.
Petrobangla can not be blamed for situation at Baghabari. All the power plants in the area were due to receive gas at a maximum pressure of 150 psig. With this end in view, Westmont barge-mounted power plant and PDB have installed compressors. But these are not put to use. So it is the inaction of power plants, which is responsible for the reported low gas pressure in Baghabari area.
For the last 10-15 days Petrobangla is in a position to supply required gas to PDB plant but for various reasons PDB cannot receive. One of the 210 MW Raujan plant is under overhauling for months which alone is responsible for the miseries of the consumers in Chittagong area. There is no problem for supply of any quantity of gas to Meghnaghat and Siddhirganj area. If the private and public power plants in the area can produce consistently, gas supply has no problem. PDB can use the required volume of gas at Ashuganj for APS. But the capacity of APS is restricted for its own reasons.
In view of above, it will be justified not to put the blame squarely on gas supply alone for power generation and supply problem. Aging power units, supply and distribution constraints and mechanical problems of power plants at various locations contribute equally to power supply miseries. However, for the long-term sustainability of gas supply to power plants and other major industries in the country, the following projects must be implemented through public-private joint venture at the earliest. This has appeared in the study and analysis of E&P.

Transmission Pipelines

• Ashuganj- Monohardi loopeline including expansion of Ashuganj metering station.
• A dedicated 24-inch spurline from Monohardi to Ghorashal area for power plants and fertilizers.
• Monohardi-Elenga loopeline with a provision for compressor at Elenga.
• Bakhrabad-Meghnaghat transmission pipeline to ensure capacity utilization of Ashuganj-Bakhrabad transmission pipeline.
• Dhonua-Savar gas transmission pipeline.