Govt no longer incurring fines by keeping power plants idle: Nasrul

The government is currently not incurring fines by keeping any of the country's power plants idle, State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said today (25 February). 

"However, in cases where power is not being utilised from a power plant, the [Power Development Board] must pay the capacity charge to the respective plant," Nasrul said in response to the supplementary question of opposition chief whip Mujibul Haque Chunnu in the Parliament.

Nasrul Hamid also mentioned that Bangladesh is facing a gas shortage of nearly 1,000 million cubic feet (mmcf) per day compared to its daily demand.

"The country is extracting around 2,050 mmcf of gas daily, while the daily demand is approximately 4,000 mmcf. With the daily import of LNG adding about 800 to 900 mmcf to the national grid, the total shortfall in gas supply is nearly 1,000 mmcf," he said. 

To address the existing shortfall and meet future gas demands, Hamid said various initiatives are underway, including drilling 48 different types of wells by 2025, which could add an average of 618 mmcf of gas to the national grid daily. 

"Of these, drilling and workover operations for ten wells have been completed, securing a daily production of 118 mmcf, with an additional 33 mmcf being added to the national grid daily," he said in response to a question from Parliament member M Abdul Latif. 

Hamid also said the capacity increase of one of the two floating LNG terminals boosted the total daily LNG supply capacity to 1,100 mmcf. 
"A long-term gas production forecast up to the 2040-41 fiscal year [FY] has been projected while considering domestic gas field exploration, production, unconventional resource extraction, offshore gas exploration, LNG import and pipeline gas import," he said. 

According to these projections, he added that the daily gas supply is expected to reach 4,608 mmcf by FY2030-31 and 5,249 mmcf by FY2040-41. 

In response to another question from Latif, Hamid said, "The BPC imports 50% of the total refined fuel oil through G2G agreements and 50% through international open tenders.

"Currently, the BPC is importing refined fuel oil on a G2G basis from state-owned companies in six countries: India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia." 

Bangladesh imports 2,656 megawatts of electricity from India daily. 

"The country has 141 thermal power plants with a capacity of 23,159 megawatts. 2,656 megawatts of thermal power is being imported from India," Hamid said while answering a question from independent MP Saiful Islam. 

He also mentioned that 18 thermal power plants with a capacity of 11,303 megawatts are under construction and in various stages of the tender process.