Energy & Power

Report

No Respite from Sever Power Crisis
Doulot Akter Mala

With the sweltering heat of the summer, the country has been reeling under an acute power outage and load-shedding. Electricity consumers in the divisional cities and rural areas have been seeing the worst outages in recent times.
The people outside Dhaka have to pass days without electricity and the continuing sultry weather only adds to their sufferings. It was found that rural consumers are getting discriminatory power supply compared to urban consumers.
Rural Electrification Board (REB), a power sector entity entitled to supply power in the rural areas of the country, is getting only 570 MW power against the demand of 1200 MW, according to REB sources.

Rural power distribution offices claimed that rural power feeders have been facing discrimination as the load dispatch center (LDC) frequently asked to switch off the feeders to shed load.

However, many rural areas suffer erratic power supply, as the LDC’s commands are not announced in advance, sources said.
Divisional cities have been experiencing 12 to 14 hours power outage while urban areas seven to eight hours.

Presently, the demands of power hovered from 5,000 to 5,500 MW against the generation of around 3,500 MW. The country has been experiencing around 2000 MW load shedding, but the according to the official data it is around 700-800 MW.

Sources alleged that the immediate past government only extended the power lines instead of increasing power generation.

During the last five years, REB has doubled the number of its consumers from 15 million to 30 million, transforming it as the country’s single largest customer of electricity in the country.

The government only extended the power lines and give new power connections that raised the demands of power significantly during the last five years.

The REB suspended giving new power lines during the last eight months due to prevailing power shortage.

The Palli Biddut Samity (PBS) of REB cannot satisfy its consumer’s demands of power and every year it has to face the wrath of agited consumers across the country.

The government has extended REB network about 80,000 kilometers power distribution lines in the last five years, but the power ministry under which the REB functions have failed to make the power lines live.

This has created a grave mismatch in demand and supply of power in this country that often creates public sentiments.

The government has spent about Tk 4.0 to Tk 5.0 billion (Tk 400 to 500 crore) annually for its expansion of power distribution line.

Companies, having connections with the coalition government, have supplied some of the expensive materials that were used by REB for the power distribution network.

Such locally manufactured materials, especially electric polls were more expensive than imported ones.

The REB has expanded the power lines with a view to reach the government’s target of power for all by 2020.

But, the government only extended power connections, which seems ‘dummy lines’ to the rural consumers, he added.
“What is the use of a line if there is no electricity?” a rural consumer questioned.
The government’s plan to provide electricity to all by 2020 will remain a mere pipedream as power generation is stuck on an average to 3500 MW since last year.

Currently, only about 30 per cent of the country is being provided with electricity with of course the usual frequent interruptions.
The government is trying its level best to ease the nagging power outage through different initiatives like holyday staggering in the industrial areas, closure of shopping malls by 7.00 pm etc.

In Search of Alternative Energy Sources

Shiabur Rahman

With the country moving towards running out of natural gas, the main source of energy, it has been urgently needed to diversify the energy sources lessening dependence on gas to ensure country’s energy security.

Speakers, mostly energy and mine experts, made such observations at a roundtable discussion on May 3. They suggested immediate start of coal extraction from the mines in the northern region, going for further exploration of gas – both onshore and offshore – and getting prepared for atomic energy.

The Weekly Ekhon organised the discussion titled "Future sources of energy" at the National Press Club.

Former PDB Chairman Quamrul Islam Siddique, mine engineer and former Petrobangla Director Muinul Ahsan, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission director Dr Yunus Akon, Dhaka University professors Dr SM Mahfuzur Rahman and Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan, BUET professor Mohammad Tamim, Jahangirnagar University professor Dr Khalilur Rahman, Summit Group Chairman Mohammad Aziz Khan, Daily Manabjamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury and Forum of Environment Journalist Bangladesh president Kamrul Islam Chowdhury were the key discussants.

Ekhon Editor Ataus Samad, also the advisory editor of the Daily Amar Desh, presided over the session.

Almost all the discussants encouraged open-pit extraction of coal analysing the geological condition of Bangladesh with some expressing the view that it could be pursued at least under a pilot project.

They observed underground mining might bring disasters like that of Barapukuria, where a British mining consultant died and another fell sick recently due to air poisoning inside the mine.

Quamrul Islam Siddique in his speech highlighted the constitutional weakness in solving the power crisis of the country. He lamented that energy related institutions are always run by non-experts in the country.

He also held corruption, especially sponsored by politicians, responsible for the present state of power. “Previous governments could not finalise many power projects due to corruption,” he pointed out.

Quamrul advocated supply of more power to the people of country’s western zone, which caters to most of country’s demand for rice and other food grains. “Unless more power is available to them, the farmers there cannot add value to their produce.”

He talked about the much-debated mining issue and said Phulbari coalmine opencast mining would be more suitable than the underground one since underground mining bears many risks.

“It (underground mining) can result in fatal incident at any time. It would be better to follow open pit mining method at Phulbari. But we have to think of the people to be displaced due to the open-pit mining. The affected people must be provided with proper rehabilitation facilities and employment opportunities and it has to be ensured that they can get access to a better livelihood.”

Muinul Ahsan also favoured open-pit mining. He, however, expressed his doubt whether the country could ultimately benefit from the coal in the mines ending the debates of open-pit and underground mining.

Muinul held the government responsible for “creating problems concerning the Phulbari mine by mishandling the issue.” “But the problems can be addressed through offering adequate compensation and political will is necessary for that.”

He said the people in the Phulbari area should be convinced that they would get back their land after 15 years and could use it for agriculture.

Muinul said there are merits and demerits of both mining methods. “But we have to consider which one would be better for us taking into consideration every aspect.”

According to him, the advantages of underground mining are less loss of land and minimum pollution from dust and noise while its disadvantages are chance of subsidence in the area, hazard from carbon monoxide, flooding in mine, poor (10-15 percent) recovery rate, spontaneous combustion, etc.

On the other side, he said, open-cast mining has the advantages of highest recovery rate (up to 95 percent), safe working operation, no spontaneous combustion, etc, and the disadvantages of loss of land and property, dewatering, pollution and noise.

“Taking into consideration the merits and demerits of the two methods, I personally think open-pit mining would be viable for both Barapukuria and Phulbari mines.”

Dr Tamim said the country should opt for open-pit mining at Phulbari at pilot-level. “But at the same time, issues related to environment and the people to be displaced should be looked into seriously. I think it would be no problem to carry on open-pit mining if the affected people are compensated adequately,” he said.

He lamented that politicians do not say anything when housing projects like Uttara and Purbachal are developed displacing people but they become vocal when people are displaced for a project like Phulbari, which will greatly contribute to the economy.

Tamim said the country needs to make huge investment in the power sector to ensure mid-term and long-term energy security. According to him, Bangladesh will fall short of 20-25 TCF gas in the year 2015-2025 and it will need 6-14 million dollar investment to discover and explore new gas fields.

Mentioning that there are some fields still not identified well, he said these fields would also need investment.

Aziz Khan said Bangladesh’s position about the reserves of energy sources is relatively better than many other countries. "Now the country needs a good policy for ensuring their optimal use.”

Referring to the fact that PDB is the lone buyer of power generated by private sector, he said this monopoly is deterrent to the growth of private sector power plants.

Khan also focused on corruption in the power sector and said tenders have been invited several times for some private sector plants due to that corruption.

SM Mahfuzur Rahman said extraction of coal should be started immediately if the country wants to take its ultimate benefit within 4-5 years.

He suggested developing a coal zone in the northern zone, which would be well connected to the other parts of the country by rail and road transports.

Mahfuzur said: "there are problems with the project but we have to ensure that we don't abandon the project due to the problems.” He laid emphasis on the immediate finalisation of the proposed coal policy.

Dr Yunus Akon viewed that both Phulbari and Barapukuria coalmines are suitable for open-pit mining and said nowadays open-pit mining has been easier than before due to advancement of technology. “But we’ve to lessen the negative effect of open-pit mining.”

He stressed the need for positively motivating the people in the coalmine area saying that they have to be convinced that their temporary displacement would bring good to themselves as well as to the nation.

Akon said Bangladesh has potentials of generating atomic energy. “Though it’s not possible right now, atomic energy may be the main solution to energy crisis in future. And Bangladesh will have to get prepared for that.”

He said apart from the developed countries, developing nations like neighbouring India and Pakistan are now trying to increase their dependence on atomic energy as it’s the lowest-cost energy and its raw material uranium are in abundance in the world.

He viewed that though Bangladesh initially cannot produce uranium, it can import it to run the reactors and then start its production.

He thinks coal may be the mid-term solution to power crisis. But to depend on coal as a means of energy solution, the country has to harness the best possible quantity of coal and for that there is no alternative to open-pit extraction at both Phulbari and Barapukuria coalmines.

Khalil Chowdhury said the power sector of the country is “experiencing disasters and if we allow this disasters to continue for five years more we’ll be in great trouble.”

He laid emphasis on finalising the coal policy incorporating the suggestions of the experts in the field for the salvage of the country from further disaster.

Khalil talked about short-, mid- and long-term programmes for the development of the power and energy sector.

He said the country needs to get prepared for atomic energy. “Today those who are not allowing you to go for atomic energy can ask you any day to go for it in the changed situation. So we have to take preparation from today.”

Khalil mentioned that cost of atomic energy is lowest.

Ataus Samad said it is high time for Bangladesh to settle the maritime boundary issue with India. Once the issue is settled, Bangladesh can explore mineral resources lying offshore, he added.

Matiur Rahman Chowdhury proposed constitution of a constitutional body, comprising the experts in the sector, to see the energy issue.

“The body will be of such a character that a government will go from power after ending its tenure but the body would continue to exist.”

Kamrul Islam Chowdhury said Bangladesh needs to afford huge investment in energy sector to ensure energy security.

He stressed the need for ensuring effective monitoring in case of open-pit mining to ensure that the negative effect remains at low level. He suggested including the local people in the monitoring process.