Dec 05 - Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

Bangladesh is planning to import coal from three countries for establishing new power plants in the country in future, said a top official.

Md Mokhlesur Rahman Khandaker, member of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, told Xinhua on Thursday, "We are now thinking for importing coal from China, Indonesia and Australia as availability of gas for establishing new power plants has become uncertain."

His remarks came after Jalal Ahmed, chairman of Petrobangla, the state-owned gas supply and distribution authority, said on Thursday that the Bangladeshi government has decided not to supply any more gas to any new power station after 2012.

Ahmed said the government took such decision as it fears that the country's gas production will comedown after 2011 if there is no new gas well discovered.

Amid such circumstances, Khandaker said, "We have no alternative but to establish coal based power plants in the country."

Bangladesh's Power Development Board needs on average 840 million cubic feet of gas per day to generate 4,000 MW power from existing plants but Petrobangla and its affiliated foreign companies in the country can supply around 650 million-700 million cubic feet of gas per day.

Shortage in gas supply has already hit the country's power generation. There is on average 1500 MW of load shedding every day in Bangladesh.

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