FROM PAGE B1

Responding to a query, he said they would monitor cooling demand during the summer season based on the load of feeders managed by distribution companies.

“If we find a feeder’s load unjustifiably high, then we will go for load-shedding in that area,” he said, urging people to follow the government’s instruction to set air conditioners at 25 degrees Celsius or above.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Md Jalal Ahmed criticised the keynote paper for focusing mainly on the power sector.

“We are short on primary energy only. The current situation has arisen due to focusing solely on power generation. We have increased power generation capacity but neglected transmission and distribution,” he said.

He added that the state-owned gas exploration company BAPEX has surveyed only 5,000 square kilometres, although there were plans in 2007-09 to survey 20,000 square kilometres within a year.

“Offshore exploration was all set and a company won the tender, but they weren’t awarded the work. Gas exploration was not a priority for the previous government and as a result, we don’t know if we have gas reserves or not,” he said.

Former professor of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Ijaz Hossain said gas production has been declining since 2017.

“At least 10 drillings should be done every year,” he said, adding that renewable energy should also be prioritised.

“It is ridiculous that we are using furnace oil to produce electricity, which costs Tk 25 per unit, when we could harness solar energy at the lowest cost while the sun is shining,” Hossain commented.