'Monitor-Totalgaz Chef of the Year' Competition Launched

The second 'Monitor-Totalgaz Chef of the Year-2006' competition was launched on May 25 aiming to promote the varied and trendy tantalizing cuisines and to find out the hidden talented chefs from across the country.

The Bangladesh Monitor, a travel magazine, will hold the contest in the middle of July. Multinational oil and gas company Totalgaz is the co-organiser of the competition while five-star hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon and Rabeya Flour Mills Ltd, one of the concerns of Ejab Group of Industries, would be the premium partners of the contest.

B Vijay Kumar, Managing Director, Premier LP Gas Ltd, a concern of Totalgaz and representatives of other partners spoke a press conference while launching the competition.

The competition is divided into two categories -- professional chef and amateur chef. Housewives or any gentleman interested in cooking can participate in the amateur group. Chefs working in hotels, restaurants, catering or any organization involved in preparation of foods can participate in the professional group. The participants can send entries to the office of The Bangladesh Monitor by June 25, 2006.

Each of the best chefs from two groups will be awarded Tk 10,000, a crest and a Dhaka-Dubai-Dhaka air ticket.

Cabinet Committee Defers Rig Procurement Plan

The cabinet committee on purchase has once again deferred a proposal for procurement of a rig for the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (BAPEX). "We have to discuss the rig procurement proposal further for the sake of transparency," Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman told reporters after a meeting of the committee.

FBCCI Urges Govt. to Renegotiate Deal with Asia Energy

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) advises the government to renegotiate the entire coal-mining deal with the Asia Energy, saying it would be of little benefit to the country.

"The contract provides for very little benefit to Bangladesh. The government should renegotiate it on the basis of the national coal policy, which is expected to be approved soon," Mir Nasir Hossain, President of the FBCCI, told reporters after a meeting with a three-member team of the Asia Energy Corporation (Bangladesh) Pvt. Ltd.

Gary Lye, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company in Bangladesh, led the Asia Energy team during the meeting.

The FBCCI's advice came when the London-based company was waiting for a positive response from the government to its US$ 3.0 billion investment proposal to explore and develop Phulbari Coal mine in Dinajpur.

The government originally signed the deal on the coalmine with the Australian BHP Billiton Ltd. in 1994. The BHP sold the ownership of the deal to Asia Energy PLC Ltd. in 1999.

India to Join US-backed Gas Pipeline Project

With Iran playing tough on gas pricing, India has decided to join the United States-backed 3.5 billion dollar Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) gas pipeline project to meet its burgeoning energy demands.

"The cabinet has approved petroleum ministry's proposal for joining the TAP project," an official said in New Delhi.

India had in mid-February participated for the first time as an 'observer' in the 9th meeting of the steering committee of the TAP project and has since decided to join the project which will now be renamed TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline), he said.

India, Myanmar Envoys Summoned

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the allocation of undemarcated areas in the Bay of Bengal for oil and gas exploration by India and Myanmar cannot be acceptable to Bangladesh.

This was conveyed to Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri and Myanmar Ambassdor U Thane Myint when they were summoned to the foreign office separately by Acting Foreign Secretary AHM Moniruzzaman.

The secretary handed over two separate notes to the envoys drawing attention of their respective governments to the news items published regarding allocation of undermarcated areas to conduct survey for exploration of oil and gas in the Bay of Bengal.

Sources quoted the notes as saying that in the interest of good neighbourly relations Bangladesh "seeks cooperation of both India and Myanmar for more details about allocation of undermarcated blocks in the Bay of Bengal."

BR to Earn US$2 B Transporting Phulbari Coal to Market

Asia Energy, which is in the final stages of developing its Phulbari coal mine in Dinajpur, told Bangladesh Railway (BR) that the state-run railway would earn over US$2 billion transporting its coal to market and its equipment and supplies to the mine.

David Schonfeld, Asia Energy's Rail Development Manager, outlined the projected revenues in a presentation to BR Director General KMA Rob, and senior officials, in which he explained Asia Energy's vision for a 'world-class western rail corridor'.

At full capacity, the Phulbari coal mine will produce more than 15 million tons a year (Mtpa), plus an estimated million and a half tons of aggregate and other co-products, most of which will require transport by rail.

Schonfeld said that as a result BR's freight traffic will grow six-fold, from 4 Mtpa to 26 Mtpa.

In order to handle the increased volumes, BR will need to invest US$250 million – upgrading track and buying new rolling stock for the western rail system.

Asia Energy plans initially to export the bulk of its coal production -- most of it via rail to Khulna and then on river barge to load onto sea going ships at Akram Point, and some direct by rail.

In the early stages about three million tons of coal will be sold locally, and this will also be freighted on rail to industrial centers such as Gazipur. As local consumption and demand increases, more will be kept back for use in Bangladesh.

Asia Energy will also use the railways to transport the heavy equipment, fuel and other supplies that it will need to import to operate its Phulbari mine.

David Schonfeld, an engineer, has worked on railways for more than 40 years, mostly in Queensland, Australia, where he was part of a senior management team responsible for transporting 150 million tons of coal a year.

Dhaka Won’t Allow Anyone in its Maritime Boundary: FM

Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan reiterated Bangladesh's position that Dhaka would not allow anyone to go for oil, gas exploration within her maritime boundary and exclusive economic zone.

He made the point when asked about that India and Myanmar are planning to go for hydrocarbon exploration within the deep-waters of Bangladesh.

On Dhaka's next step, the FM said that the government would decide its course of action in consultation with experts and as per international law of the sea.

"The government will also contact India and Myanmar on the issue, if necessary," Khan told reporters.

New Titas Well Launched

Energy Advisor Mahmudur Rahman inaugurated the well no 15 of Titas Gas Field at suburban Birasar in Brahmanbaria recently.

The new well will produce 25 million cubic feet gas per day (MMCFD). It already started contributing to the national grid. It would raise the overall production of Titas Gas Field to 805 MMCFD, more than 50 percent of country’s total gas production.

NGOs Offer Help Government to Reach Oil to Poor

Country's NGOs have offered the government to reach the highly subsidized fuel oils, especially diesel and kerosene, to the targeted people in the rural areas. "We have some 15 million members across the country and they can be utilized for an effective distribution of oil among the farmers and other marginal people," Enamul Haque, Executive Vice President of ASA, a leading NGO, told reporters after a meeting with Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman.

The ministry organized the program to discuss with the NGOs on the imminent oil price hike and the economic crisis that took place due to continuing spiral of petroleum products in the international market.

"I talked to them on how to resolve this crisis relating to rise of oil price and preparation of the next budget," Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman told reporters after the meeting.

Representatives from some 30 NGOs, including ASA, BRAC, Oxfam and Dhaka Ahsania Mission, were present at the meeting.

On price hike of fuel oils, Enamul Haque said the NGOs suggested the government to take special care to the poor so that they are affected the least.

Energy Advisor Disfavors Gas Price Hike

Energy Advisor and Board of Investment (BoI) Executive Chairman Mahmudur Rahman said the price of gas should not be increased for next five years at least to encourage the country's industrial sector.

Rahman while sharing views on the gas price issue with the journalists at his secretariat office said that cheaper energy is essential for achieving more economic growth and ensuring country's trade balance.

Terming the 13 percent of the manufacturing growth during last three years and 19 percent export growth during last six month as impressive, he said, to keep the trend of the growth continue, gas price should not be increased.

He, however, said, "if the government wants to increase the price of the item, I will."

As the industry sector has already been facing the post-MFA challenge, the increase of gas-price would be another burden, the advisor added.

According to his personal opinion, to protect the devaluation of local currency (Taka) and to reduce pressure on foreign exchange reserve, increased gas price should not be imposed.

"I believe in reform to the sector, but not in price-hike," he said adding, the increase of gas price is not a solution, rather inefficiency.

Mahmudur Rahman said, "Although I am against incentives to any sector, I support incentives as well as input only in labor and energy sector as those are actually work for the GDP as well as the industrial growth."

Safety Meetings of Total

Safety meetings for trade partners of Totalgaz were organized at Chittagong plant in April-May. Some 200 trade partners of Total from Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Chittagong, Dhaka and Bogra joined the meetings.

The topics discussed during the presentation were LPG safety, information on Total Group, general questions and answers on LPG.

A plant visit was also included in the schedule.

Energy Advisor Trapped in Coalmine

Energy Advisor Mahmudur Rahman on May 25 got trapped 1,950 feet deep in the Barapukuria coalmine in Dinajpur due to power outage and generator took more than half-an-hour to resume electricity supply. "The advisor became sick as he got stranded under darkness in a suffocative atmosphere in the underground coalmine due to the power crisis at about 7pm," a source said.

"It took sometimes for him to overcome the nightmarish experience both physically and mentally," said another source closed to the advisor. He, however, claimed that the generators started functioning within 20 minutes.

The power disruption took place although it was an official tour of the Energy Advisor and all concerned departments and officials of Power Division were aware about the visit.

The Power and Energy are two divisions under the same Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The advisor later asked the management of Barapukuria coalmine to go for instant power supply in case of electricity trips. "The experience of the advisor himself indicated under what situation the laborers work in the coalmine," said an official.