The National Committee on gas utilisation in a meeting yesterday decided to prescribe in its report two options for the government -- one for limited export from the explorers' share and the other for non-export choice.

Sources concerned said the nonexport option would show that the government would have to spend six billion dollars from its own balance for the energy sector by year 2020.

The expenditures will include 4.5 billion dollars for making payment for the international oil companies (IOCs), 500 million dollars for development of Petrobangla fields and one billion dollars for new exploration.

The committee in its report will make observations that the country will have to arrange the expenditures entirely from its own funds as donors will cease to help development of the energy sector if gas is not exported.

Former Secretary and committee Chairman Azimuddin Ahmed presided over yesterday's meeting that decided to prepare the draft report on May 11.

Over the next four days, the

committee members will go through the draft and a final report is likely by mid of this month.

Regarding pipeline export, the committee report will discourage exporting only from Bibiana of Unocal as proposed by the US company. "If the government decides pipeline export only from Bibiana, it'll be a disastrous decision," said a committee member.

He said their report would suggest pipeline export under government management, if finally a decision comes for exporting gas from the shares of the international oil companies exploring hydrocarbons in Bangladesh under production-sharing contracts.