Download Link for Energy & Power Vol 19 Issue 14 As PDF /userfiles/EP_19_14_PDF.pdf

 Power generation in Bangladesh depends 60 percent on gas, including imported liquefied natural gas (LNG). The government is also taking initiatives to go for LNG further to generate power for meeting the future demand for power. Experts apprehended that it may force the country to rely more on gas until 2050 or even beyond, and make it exclusively dependent on gas. The main challenge of such a situation would be that a major portion of the gas requirement will have to be met through imports from the volatile energy market. Abandoning 10 planned coal-based power plants would put further pressure on gas. As a result, there is every possibility that the power price would go up, making local businesses comparatively less competitive. Experts think that the exclusive reliance on gas would also make long-term energy security vulnerable. So, it would be always better to explore alternative options, including coal possibilities. Many of the experts argued that Bangladesh does not have the obligation to phase out coal at this moment due to its very low level of carbon emission. So, Bangladesh could go for coal option, particularly its own coal, to keep electricity prices low. 

It will be highly essential at this moment to focus more on devising an appropriate fuel mix to face the future challenges of meeting energy demand.