Fossil fuels mainly oil, gas and coal take millions of years to produce but it is not unlimited. So the need for searching alternates for supplying energy incorporate with its demands. Reduce the Dependency on fossil fuel power plants for energy! Is it doable like a country Bangladesh? If yes, how and why should the government and civil society emphasis on that?
Bangladesh’s economy is growing fast, but domestic natural supplies cannot keep pace with the increasing demand for energy (38% of the population still doesn’t have access to electricity), resulting in rising dependence on oil and diesel-based power generation. The energy mix comprises 64% natural gas, 25% petroleum, 4% renewable energy, and 2% coal.
| Projects under the private sector Local conglomerate Orion Group was supposed to build four projects with a total capacity 1,721 MW in Meghnaghat of Narayganj, and Chittagong. Previously, Orion Group took up five projects, but canceled a proposed 565MW project in Rampal of Bagerhat. Chittagong-based S Alam Group was expected to build two plants, each with a 612 MW capacity, in the district’s Banshkhali upazila with two Chinese companies – SEPCO-3 Electric Power Construction Corporation and HTG – regarding the construction of the plants. |
| Projects under government initiative The 250MW Barapukuria thermal power plant in Dinajpur* Two 1,320MW plants were supposed to be built by the PDB at Moheskhali in Cox’s Bazar, One 1200MW plant by the Coal Power Generation Company of Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) in Cox’s Bazar, a 1,320MW plant One 1,200MW plant by the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh in Cox’s Bazar. The Matarbari power plant was primarily supposed to start power generation in 2021, the time frame was later extended by a year. |
*Barapukuriya thermal Power Plant is the only operational government-owned coal-based power plant being run by the Power Development Board (PDB), where the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited supplies coal. And that is also stopped running because of coal shortage and coal (144,000 Metric ton) disappearance that happened late Sunday 22 July 2018. The government expected to restart the plant by August.
| The joint venture projects (7 Projects) The 1,320MW Maitree plant was initiated by the PDB and Indian State-owned National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd in 2010. PDB and Malaysia’s consortium of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Powertek Energy Sdn Bhd (PB) teamed up for the 1,320 MW Matarbari coal-based power plant in Moheshkhali. The PDB and Korea Electric Power Corporation had inked an MoU for a 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant at Anwara upazila of Chittagong. Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL) with Chinese state-owned Norinco International Ltd will build a 1320 MW coal-based plant in Patuakhali. BCPCL, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, is implementing the Payra project at a cost of about $2bn. The Coal Power Generation Company of Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) and the Japanese firm- Sumitomo Corporation- has started a 1,200 MW power plant in Matarbari. The state-owned CPGCBL is also engaged in a joint venture with Singapore’s Sembcorp to construct the 700MW coal-based Kohelia power plant in Matarbari of Cox’s Bazar. |
Coal mining is increasing the face of energy needs. Bangladesh is a significant hotspot of coal power development: it is planning to add an additional 18 GW of capacity in coal-powered plants and is already constructing 4 GW. Most of the current proposal is driven by foreign assistance, most notably by banks in China, whose companies and finance are involved in over half (12.5 GW, or 56%) of Bangladesh’s in-development coal power capacity.
When it comes to the question of energy security in Bangladesh the first scenario comes to mind is fossil fuel based power plants with imported fossil fuels mostly. 19 planned large coal-based plants are expected to start generating power in Bangladesh. On the one hand, it is costly and on the other hand, it is not environment-friendly though fossil fuels are natural resources.
Bangladesh already a victim of climate change, every year so many peoples are migrating from one part to another in the country as environmental migrants and becomes IDP’s (Internally Displaced persons). As the adverse effect of climate change Bangladesh already facing in Dhaka City every day, when there is no rain the heat is too much sometimes 45 degrees Celsius and when it rains heavily the roads are flooded, the rate of death caused by thunder is also increasing. Overpopulation, pollution as well as not using alternative renewable energy sources is considered the main reason for it.
The country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Products), GNP (Gross National Products), employments mostly depends on ready-made garments where the need for uninterrupted energy is a must. But when it comes to the environment and climate the dependency on fossil fuels contributing the global warming with the industrial wastes contribution to it. Reducing the adverse effects of industrial waste to the environment is possible through proper waste management but the contribution from fossil fuel burn is not doable in the current situation because Bangladesh does not have that kind of technological advantages right now. It is not possible to stop the fossil fuel based energy generation at once but the initiatives should be taken into consideration as coals are mostly imported from other countries like China, Russia, and India.
If the government is not thinking about the alternate after a certain period of time most of the power generation company would be stopped and with that, the speed of development would also be stopped. Another aspect to keep in mind about the cost of fossil fuel based power generation. As Bangladesh needs to import the fossil fuels it is costlier than renewable energy production in general scenes. But the fact here we can find that although in global level the solar energy pan is less costly than the cost paid by the consumers in Bangladesh. The Peoples of Bangladesh are also aware of climate change as they are opposing The Government’s fossil fuel-based power projects like Rampal Coal Based power plants and Ruppur Nuclear Power plant.
The World Bank (WB) has projected 6.7 per cent economic growth in the fiscal year (FY) 2018-19 for Bangladesh. The population is expected to climb to over 185 million people by 2030. One thing the government can do to reduce the adverse climate effects from fossil fuels through encouraging alternative power sources that is renewable like solar energy, wind energy, wave energy etc. Through government’s policy, these projects could help to generate employment too.
Alma Siddiqua
