No load-shedding from Sept-end

There will be no load shedding in the country from the end of September, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid.

The fuel prices, which increased recently hitting the country’s economy hard, will be reduced within a month or two if the global prices fall, he said while addressing a seminar in the capital on Sunday.

“Everyone should be patient for 1-2 months. If fuel prices decrease a little in the world market, we will surely adjust the price accordingly,” he added.

Forum for Energy Reporters Bangladesh (FERB) organized the seminar styled “Energy Security and International Market Situation of Bangladesh”.

At the seminar, energy experts called for exploring domestic energy sources to get rid of import dependency.

In response, the state minister said, “Every year, we are trying to explore the local sources of energy. But, at present, it is not possible to meet the demand with the amount of gas we get from domestic sources. As a result, we are being forced to import.”

Observing that Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation which recently hiked the fuel prices is a non-transparent institute, Professor M Shamsul Alam, senior vice-president of Consumers Association of Bangladesh, said, “Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) is the legal authority to determine fuel prices. If BERC organises a public hearing over the issue, people’s perception about the BPC will come to the fore which is not positive at all.”

The professor demanded a clear explanation from the state minister on why fuel oil prices are not being adjusted through BERC, but the latter kept mum in reply to the demand.

At the seminar, Dhaka University Professor Badrul Imam, also a geologist, said, “Our main problem is energy, not electricity. We are depending on imports to supply fuel to power plants because we neglect our own energy sources.”

“Chances are there that we have gas reserves in many areas of the country. It is important to take initiative as soon as possible to extract gas from these reserves,” he added.

Petrobangla Chairman Nazmul Ahsan said Bangladesh Petroleum Production and Exploration Company (BAPEX) is working to extract 618 mmcf/d gas by 2025

Mollah Amjad Hossain, the editor of Energy and Power, presented the keynote at the seminar moderated by FERB Executive Director Rishan Nasrullah.

FERB Chairman Shamim Jahangir presided over the event addressed, among others, by economist Mahfuz Kabir and Mahbub Hossain, senior secretary of the energy and mineral resources division.