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Power generation: domestic gas, coal best option

ICCB opposes rental power plants

Star Business Desk
Local gas and coal should be utilised to boost the power sector, rather than relying on quick fixes like quick rental and peaking plants used so far as they are not efficient enough, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICCB) Bangladesh said yesterday.
The installed electricity generation capacity in Bangladesh has to be increased by 5,544MW to achieve the revised target of8,294 from the 2010 initial target of 5,000MW for fiscal 2013 within the next 20 months.
Due to high per unit cost of rental power plants, the government bears a huge burden in buying electricity and selling at subsidised rates. According to the World Bank, the fuel subsidy during the last fiscal year (FY12) was Tk 52-56 billion, about 0.6-0.7 percent of the GDP.
In the FY13 budget, the government
has allocated Tk 95.44 billion for power and energy sector.
Bangladesh faces a crisis in meeting the increasing private sector demand for credit and energy to achieve the targeted growth rate of 7.2 percent in FYI3. However, even to achieve a respectable level of growth, if not 7.2 percent, power has to be ensured without any further delay.
In FY12, bank borrowing of Tk 291.15 billion created a liquidity crisis for the banks in private financing. In FYI3, bank borrowing is targeted at Tk 230 billion, which is likely to increase manifold should the government ultimately go for local resources for construction of Padma Bridge.
It may put serious strain on economic activity, ICCB said in the editorial of the current News Bulletin.
At the beginning of the present government's tenure in January 2009, maximum power generation capacity was 4,130MW against installed capacity of 5,464MW.
Since then, installed capacity as of April this year stood at 8,625 MW, but maximum generation was just around 6,066M W against demand for 7,518M W.
That is, even with additional installed capacity of 3161 MW, actual maximum generation increased by only 1936, increasing the supply gap from 470 MW to 1452 MW.
To avoid monumental expenditure on subsidy, local gas and coal are ideal for power generation in the country, the ICCB said.
Currently, Bangladesh produces around 2,100 million cubic feet (mmefd) of gas a day against demand of 2,600 mmefd, being short of around 500 mmefd.
The country also has 2,800 million metric tonne per annum capacity in extractable high quality bituminous coal in 5 coalmines within a 100 sq km area of Rangpurand Dinajpur.
Efficiency and modern technology can
be used to produce 12.000MW of coal-fired electricity by 2030 for almost 50 years.
However, this comparatively inexpensive resource is not being utilised whereas in countries like India, China, and South Africa, 64, 81 and 94 percent respectively, of total power generated is coal-fuelled.
According to experts, the age-old power plants should be totally replaced in phases instead of wasting money for repair and renovation on an ad-hoc basis.
ICCB emphasised further exploration of gas from untapped reserves, urgent modernisation and expansion of distribution channel to meet shortages immediately and establish gas-based power plants and supply to the industries.
Businesses also reiterate their recommendations for setting up domestic coal and gas-based power plants to meet the power crisis under a more realistic and achievable target.