Bangladesh Energy Sector: Anatomy of Disasters.

We always told someday Bangladesh will pay heavy price for mismanagement, corruption, nepotism, neglect of genuine professionals of the energy sector. Nobody listen .Gas sector operation and development was made the happy hunting ground for the grabbers and looters. None bothered for professional development. Persons loosing job in the Armed forces or retiring were thrust upon the gas sector in important positions. Excepting a very few of them others indulged in corruption and created opportunities for others to do that. Unworthy Geologists and incompetent Mining Engineers grabbed all important positions even if they were not suited for that. The retired uniformed, personnel, incapable geologists, and non performing mining engineers mostly are responsible for the present disastrous situation of gas sector management. Off course there were exceptions among mining engineers and geologists. But they were minorities. Right people were not in the right places.
The requirement of Petroleum Engineers , Production Engineers, Reservoir Specialists were ignored for production companies, the requirement of Mining Engineers, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers for mining projects were not given due attention, the requirement of Geologists , Chemists and other professions were also not duly recognized. Professional Accounting, Administration personnel, Contract Management personnel were not recruited for years. Petrobangla has now become barren a corporation dominated by persons of clerical mentality.

Bangladesh has substantial natural resources. Gas and coal that we have can easily ensure our energy security for a while if we can explore and exploit in a planned and judicious manner. Proper exploration and exploitation could have kept us energy situation very comfortable even now. We had brilliant dynamic, willing and competent work force .But due to dominance of unworthy, incompetent personnel many of the trained and experienced officials left the sector leaving it almost barren. Wrong policies of successive government, massive corruption of political elements and bureaucrats brought in incompetent international developers who partly destroyed our resources. Blow outs at Magurchara and Tengratilla and repeated problems at Barapukuria have destroyed our valuable resources. We did nothing more than watching hopelessly. Now situation has arrived at a stage when our capacity to exploit and explore our own resources has almost depleted. The country do not have the required competent professionals to run their business but many competent trained energy sector professionals are doing odd jobs in USA, Canada and other countries. They could not bear with the corruption and mismanagement of the sector and left the job causing serious brain drain. Some of them were ignored and unworthy corrupt personnel were favored in promotion and other facilities.

The curse of all these evils has brought the energy sector on the verge of collapse. Power sector can not meet even two third of the suppressed national demand. Gas sector can not guarantee gas supply to small power plants despite of having surplus gas at source. Petrobangla can not guarantee supply of additional 13 MMCFD gas to small power plants. Wonder how Petrobangla will supply gas to power plants at Shikalbaha and other places.

Energy Bangla