Lack Of Professionalism Hinders Development Of Bangladesh Energy Sector

The key problem in Bangladesh’s energy and power sector today is ensuring a sustainable supply of primary fuel. A substantial reserve of high-quality coal remains buried at mineable depths.

- Saleque Sufi

Off-the-shelf, appropriate technology for mining is readily available. Yet, successive governments since the late 1990s have failed to make the necessary political decision to begin coal mining. The lone operating mine at Barapukuria is struggling for survival. For reasons best known to bureaucrat-dominated policymakers, exploration and development of petroleum resources have remained far below minimum levels.

Experts have continuously called for expediting petroleum exploration. Yet, the highly promising offshore resources of the Bay of Bengal remain virtually unexplored. Very little exploration has been conducted onshore either—two-thirds of the onshore area remains unexplored. From 2000 to 2025, only slightly over 3 Tcf of new gas was discovered, while more than 12 Tcf from proven reserves has been consumed. The “coincident peak” demand now stands at 4,200 MMCFD. But even after adding 1,000 MMCFD of imported LNG, Petrobangla can supply a maximum of 2,800 MMCFD. LNG supply is also frequently disrupted due to the inconsistent operation of floating terminals in the turbulent Bay of Bengal.

Can you imagine that despite this gas famine, about 2 Tcf of proven gas reserves in Bhola Island remain stranded? Since the late 1990s, successive governments have been perplexed over how to evacuate Bhola gas to the national grid. A proposed project by the U.S. company UNOCAL titled the “Western Region Integrated Project (WRIP)” has remained an unrealized dream. Significant potential gas resources are also believed to lie untapped in the greater Chittagong Hill Tracts region. Similarly, potential resources at Chattak and Tengratilla remain unexploited due to a lack of attention.