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Gas rationing to tackle crisis from Monday

High-powered body to submit emergency plan Sunday

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A high-level emergency meeting yesterday could not reach any decision on the introduction of a rationing system for gas in a bid to meet the existing energy crisis.
The meeting, chaired by prime minister's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Siddiqui and attended by top officials of the energy and mineral resources division, power division and industries ministry, formed a five-member working committee to chalk out the plans to this end.
The meeting reviewed the overall
situation of gas and power and asked the working committee, comprising the secretaries of power and energy division, chairmen of the Power Development Board, Petrobangla and Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), to submit its report by Sunday.
"The rationing system of gas distribution will be introduced from Monday if the report of the working committee gets prime minister's nod on Sunday, " Energy Adviser Mahmudur Rahman told reporters after the meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has initiated the plan following concerns of the business community over the acute gas crisis, especially faced recently by the Tongi-Savar belt.
Mahmudur said gas production has exceeded previous records of 1500 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), with the highest ever production of 1512mmcfd recorded on Tuesday.
Still there remains a shortage of 100mmcfd gas, which is worsening the situation, he said, adding that the crisis is not likely to end before 2007.
The total supply of gas will increase to 2300mmcfd by 2007 as around 800mmcfd gas from different fields will be added to the total supply by then, he hoped.
"Many technical issues are related with the rationing system of gas. We have given the working committee some directives and it will examine the pressure of gas on various pipelines," the energy adviser said.
The domestic consumers will not be affected by the system once it is introduced, he said.
Propositions on stopping gas supply to the Tongi Power Plant and Polash fertiliser factory--which will save 35mmcf gas each day--were discussed at the meeting. However, any decision on gas-supply to power, fertiliser and industrial sectors will be taken after the submission of the working committee report.
After the introduction of the rationing system, the power division will be asked to consume more gas during evenings, the peak hours, so that the power plants can generate more power during those hours.
The power sector consumes around 43 percent gas while the fertiliser plants consume 21 percent and the captive power plants nine percent.
The BCIC will also be requested to overhaul its four fertiliser plants in phases in the next two years so that one plant
remains shut at any given time and gas supply to the three others can be ensured.
Mahmudur, also executive chairman of the Board of Investment, said industrial growth increased by 22.5 percent each year over the last four years whereas gas supply increased by only about 12 percent annually.
"The energy sector has not been able to match the need of the industrial sector although 12 percent growth in gas supply is appreciable as there was a prediction for 6-7 percent increase in gas demand each year," he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the energy adviser told reporters that nonimplementation of three projects--Ashuganj-Monohardi gas transmission line, Dhanua-Savar gas pipeline installation and four-compressor installation--was also one of the major reasons behind the crisis in the Tongi-Savar industrial belt.