River Currents Of Bangladesh: From Ruins To Throne

Bangladesh has small deposits of very high-quality, sulfur-free coal in the northern region of the country, though most lie at considerable depth. These deposits could be exploited through underground mining, though in only one or two areas, opencast mining might be possible.

- By Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain

Since the period of British domination in the Indian subcontinent, the landmass now forming Bangladesh has been influenced by the prevailing energy policy of India. Coal was the mainstay of energy input for different sectors of the economy, a trend that continued unabated during the Pakistan period and carried into the energy scenario of Bangladesh. It was only in the mid-1970s that natural gas, available in the country, became the principal source of power, partly for electricity generation and also for industrial purposes. Incidentally, during this period, natural gas became a globally popular fuel compared to petroleum, drawing worldwide attention. Bangladesh, as a prominent source of sweet natural gas, secured a significant place on the regional energy map. From 1980 to 2000, natural gas remained the principal fuel in the country and climbed steadily to the top of the fuel utilization chart. However, as signs of depletion appeared from geological explorations, the lack of replenishing exhausted gas fields became alarming. With little prospect of discovering world-class reserves to ensure a secure energy future, policymakers are haunted by the constant fear of unexpected blackouts due to insufficient gas for power stations.

Bangladesh has small deposits of very high-quality, sulfur-free coal in the northern region of the country, though most lie at considerable depth. These deposits could be exploited through underground mining, though in only one or two areas, opencast mining might be possible. To date, only a small part of these reserves is being utilized through underground mining to fuel a 300 MW coal-based power station.