Bangla Desh: Power situation to improve by Sept 08

Presenting a bleak picture of the country’s power situation, Energy and Power Adviser Tapan Chowdhury yesterday said it would not be possible to generate any new electricity before September 2008.

The Adviser also said the country’s power plants use huge quantity of gas to generate electricity.

“If the generation of electricity continues using gas, the existing gas reserves will be depleted by 2011,” he also cautioned.
In such a situation, he said that the country’s future option for alternative energy source would only be coal.

“If we don’t have a new discovery of natural gas, then coal will be the only option,” he told reporters at a Meet the Press programme.

The Forum for Energy Reporters, Bangladesh (FERB) organised the function at Square Hospital Auditorium in the city.

According to the Bangladesh Power Development Board statistics, the present demand of electricity in the country is 5,500 megawatt, while some 3,000-3,500 megawatt of electricity is generated against the demand, leaving a shortfall of 1,500-2,000 megawatt every day.

“It is not possible to address this huge shortage of power immediately,” he said.

New Nation