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Govt must meet local demand for energy first: Tamim

Star Business Report
The government must fulfill the domestic demand for energy first before exporting energy resources, said Prof M Tamim, special assistant to the chief adviser for power, energy, and mineral resources yesterday.
“We have to ensure the fulfillment of local demand for energy first before planning to export gas or coal," he said.
He was addressing a roundtable on Energy Security, arranged by the Jugantor, a Bengali daily, at the Bangladesh Institute for Administration and Management (Biam) auditorium.
“As the price hike of energy products in the international market has been persistent with local stock reducing fast, we have to find alternative ways of producing energy,” he added.
Dr Tamim emphasized policy formulation for proper distribution of energy resources. The government is already considering reservation of gas for industrial sector and CNG and coal for producing electricity for domestic use, he noted.
He also said this year the government will be able to produce 4,000-megawatt electricity, whereas the demand for electricity is around 5.500MW. The government still has no specific solutions to meeting the additional demand, which will inevitably result in widespread load shedding across the country.
Engineer Sheikh Shahidullah, convener of National Committee for Protection of Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources-Electricity-Port, said, “After few years we might have to import gas from other countries at high price that we might not afford, so we have to preserve gas and other energy sources for our own use,” he added.
Shahidulla demanded the government should setup Coal Bangla, a separate body recommended by a government committee to look after the second largest energy resource.
He said Coal Bangla should work jointly with local or international, government or nongovernment institutions for expansion of the energy sector, adding that the organization should choose its partner on the basis of competition by
maintaining maximum transparency.
Prof Muzaffer Ahmad, chair -man of Transparency . International Bangladesh; sate}, the government needs to take measures on creating alternatives to private transport to save energy usage.
“In many developed countries, government impose restrictions on the use of private vehicles," he said, adding that these governments try to popularize public transports, such as train of bus.
Saiful Islam, assistant editor of Jugantor, moderated the roundtable.
Quazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmad, president of Bangladesh Economic Association, and Jalal Ahmed, chairman of Petrobangla, among others, were also present at the roundtable.