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Government must take steps to reduce load-shedding

https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/april-rural-areas-may-get-crueller-3584061?amp

Fear of a sizzling Eid mounts as power cuts rise

https://businesspostbd.com/power-energy/fear-of-a-sizzling-eid-mounts-as-power-cuts-rise

Stop Importing - It’s creating more pollution!

“ Coal-based power generation and power import have not stopped either. In January this year, 2.11 terawatts have been produced from coal. A year ago it was .83 terawatts. Bangladesh has imported 3 million coals till March this year.”

https://www.dailypost.net/bangladesh/pollution-rises-for-coal-based-electricity-production/8028

No problem mate, happy to help… I’m busy atm, but later in the weekend I’ll try and post more of the detail of the whole interview rather than snippets….

BH26, Below is what was said in the the interview by (Mollah (editor of Energy and Power Magazine) with Mushfiq Rahman (mining engineer) and Mr Kamruzzaman (Barapukuria head) discussing the pros and cons of Bangladesh using their own coal.

In the interview they do discuss about the compensation being offered which is five times more compensation than the land price in Barapukuria, .....

This i believe is a massive part of why the Phulbari people are not up in arms this time around!

Phulbari residents get correct rehabilitation and compensation

Mollah Amjad: Kamruzzaman, the Awami League has mentioned coal extraction in its election manifesto. When the Awami League was in power from 1996-21, BHP Billiton, who discovered the coal reserves in Phulbari, transferred the contract to a company called Asia Energy during the Awami League’s tenure when they left. Subsequently, a lot of drama occurred. Asia Energy completed a comprehensive survey of the Phulbari coal reserves and submitted a Scheme of Development, but it was not approved by the government. Instead, a committee was formed with people who are not from the coal sector to bury the issue. Since then, a negative attitude towards coal extraction has been created. Why couldn’t the government break this? As a former insider of Petrobangla, what do you think?

(A) Kamruzzaman: At that time, there was a tendency against mining. Especially the local people thought that if coal mining happened, they would have to leave their homes. They believed they would not receive proper compensation and that their standard of living would worsen. But the situation is not like that anymore. We have given a lot of compensation. After that, the situation changed. I had a housemaid whose home was in Phulbari. I asked her why they opposed coal mining when they had coal under their home. She angrily said they didn’t need coal because they wouldn’t get compensation. When we gave five times more compensation than the land price in Barapukuria, she started asking my driver when we would take their land in Phulbari, meaning she understood that compensation would be given. I think the negative mindset about Phulbari is not there anymore. If the government wishes, it can try to see."

“The issue isn't with the infrastructure but stems from broader economic challenges affecting power generation, such as the dollar and coal crisis, forcing us into load shedding.” ”

https://www.dhakatribune.com/amp/bangladesh/343537/power-cuts-plague-sylhet-frustration-growing

“But the capacity remains unused due to shortage of fuels—gas, coal and oil. Bangladesh has been facing a severe dollar crisis for about three years now.“

https://www.newagebd.net/article/229640/heat-wave-likely-to-intensify

Yes agree mate,…. I was actually just thinking how clever the author who has written the article has been. Basically saying that the government in the past has been listening to people that know nothing, they are now in a complete mess and are running out of time …

Now get on and start open pit mining!!!

“Coal was left in peace under the ground. These days, there are debates about whether the country will stick to its failed experiment of mine-mouth evacuation (underground mining) of coal, or go for 'open-pit' mining. The usual suspects --- the pseudo-intellectual individuals who wrongly influenced government decision-making 12 years ago and landed the government and the economy in this mess --- are up in arms again. The fact that Bangladesh is a US$100 billion economy that requires massive amounts of energy and power to keep growing continues to elude a section of half-baked "energy experts", who have neither the requisite technical knowledge, nor of how far things have developed in the world of mining, keep harping on the same old tune. In the final analysis of things, it's up to national policymakers to either develop cheap sources of energy domestically (on which it will have control) or keep importing energy from international sources. The question is whether the state will continue to be held hostage to international market price dictates or chart a course to self-sufficiency in energy.”

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/columns/will-government-make-use-of-local-coal-reserve

Outlook

It is anticipated that Bangladesh's coal imports will likely increase in the near future due to escalating energy demands amidst inadequate domestic supply. Despite challenges like currency devaluation and supply disruptions, coal capacity expansion projects are underway to meet future energy needs. Projected coal consumption is expected to reach 19 mnt by 2026 from the present 13-14 mnt, driven by capacity additions and economic growth. Coal consumption is set to increase with plants like Matarbari and Banshkhali that are nearing commercial operation.

"Morning Brief: In the midst of its escalating energy demand, Bangladesh has witnessed a significant 44% y-o-y increase in coal imports in the Financial year 2023 (FY'23), reveals BigMint data. Volumes surged to nearly 12.75 million tonnes (mnt) last year compared to 8.83 mnt in FY'22, underscoring the nation's growing reliance on imported coal."

Factors pushing up coal imports

"Increased demand from power sector: The increase in coal imports can be attributed to several factors. Notably, a key reason lies in the heightened requirement of imported coal for power generation. Inflation-related issues and coal supply shortages have been leading to electricity disruptions. With the addition of the Matarbari power plant in the current fiscal year, demand for coal has experienced a remarkable upsurge. In fact, six power plants across the country are now operational, utilising imported coal as a primary fuel source."

https://www.bigmint.co/insights/detail/bangladesh-thermal-coal-imports-surge-44-in-fy-23-amid-rising-energy-needs-533335

Here is another important bit of the interview ........

Mollah Amjad: Dr Mushfiq, you were involved in coal research, especially in the development and exploration of Barapukuria and Phulbari coal fields. Due to various propaganda and state supervision, a negative perception about coal prevented decisions on coal. Do you think the government can now come out of that and make a political decision?

Dr. Mushfiqur: Mr. Kamruzzaman has explained a lot as background. When we talk about big projects involving the traditional livelihoods of thousands of people, there will be issues of relocating from the land, exploring new livelihoods, and in a country like ours where land is extremely valuable and people’s livelihoods are closely linked to land, if the government does not get directly involved and ensure the security and comfort of those whose livelihoods are land-centric, then it’s not possible to implement a project with a large footprint anywhere. In that consideration, the government has to be an active partner in implementing such national projects. If the government can stand as an active partner and present this issue as a business case, then both the political declaration and its implementation utility can be economically and financially accepted, only then it’s possible.

Sorry, was posted under the wrong header..........

Here is another part of the interview, that discusses about Barapukuria as well .....

(Q) Mollah Amjad: You were the Managing Director at Barapukuria. It was said that Bangladesh would be able to extract 64 million metric tons of coal in 32 years. It was said that the price per ton of coal would be 34 US dollars, but now we see that coal from Barapukuria is being sold for 176 dollars, which is more than the price of imported coal. The coal used by PDB for electricity generation has increased liabilities rather than assistance. In light of this experience, do you think it would be appropriate to undertake new coal extraction initiatives through a Public Limited Company or a private company?"

(A) Kamruzzaman: Barapukuria is not a failed project. Firstly, no one ever imagined that a coal mine in Bangladesh could be successful. When it started, production began without land acquisition. Despite many problems, Barapukuria is a success story because the coal produced here is making the most profit among the 13 companies of Petrobangla. Forget about the price; we set the price ourselves. The important thing is that Barapukuria Coal Mine is supporting the power plant. Even with the coal price at 176 dollars, their cost of electricity production is only 6 taka per unit. However, it may not be possible to conduct coal extraction through a government company. That’s true. It’s not possible to follow government procurement rules. A foreign company can do it in a joint venture with a local company. This way, technology transfer can happen.

Here is another part of the interview, that discusses about Barapukuria as well .....

(Q) Mollah Amjad: You were the Managing Director at Barapukuria. It was said that Bangladesh would be able to extract 64 million metric tons of coal in 32 years. It was said that the price per ton of coal would be 34 US dollars, but now we see that coal from Barapukuria is being sold for 176 dollars, which is more than the price of imported coal. The coal used by PDB for electricity generation has increased liabilities rather than assistance. In light of this experience, do you think it would be appropriate to undertake new coal extraction initiatives through a Public Limited Company or a private company?"

(A) Kamruzzaman: Barapukuria is not a failed project. Firstly, no one ever imagined that a coal mine in Bangladesh could be successful. When it started, production began without land acquisition. Despite many problems, Barapukuria is a success story because the coal produced here is making the most profit among the 13 companies of Petrobangla. Forget about the price; we set the price ourselves. The important thing is that Barapukuria Coal Mine is supporting the power plant. Even with the coal price at 176 dollars, their cost of electricity production is only 6 taka per unit. However, it may not be possible to conduct coal extraction through a government company. That’s true. It’s not possible to follow government procurement rules. A foreign company can do it in a joint venture with a local company. This way, technology transfer can happen.

YouKnowItsRight, after 15 odd years you get to understand a little lol, we don't actually speak the language, but Pappi has a very good friend who translated it for us. As you can imagine for an hour long interview it was very long and has taken time and work to break down so it could be posted on here......

Bangla, yes totally agree that the "government needs to be an active partner", which is why it was good to hear in the GCM End of Year Report ..

"GCM has patiently been working to be in the best position to present the Project Proposal to the Bangladesh Government and would welcome its participation as a partner in the Project."

https://www.lse.co.uk/rns/GCM/final-results-for-the-year-ended-30-june-2023-mbppkize9au4ebz.html

The Phulbari people are happy for the mining to go ahead... they will be getting FIVE times compensation what their land is worth... .

From the interview................

" (A) Kamruzzaman: At that time, there was a tendency against mining. Especially the local people thought that if coal mining happened, they would have to leave their homes. They believed they would not receive proper compensation and that their standard of living would worsen. But the situation is not like that anymore. We have given a lot of compensation. After that, the situation changed. I had a housemaid whose home was in Phulbari. I asked her why they opposed coal mining when they had coal under their home. She angrily said they didn’t need coal because they wouldn’t get compensation. When we gave five times more compensation than the land price in Barapukuria, she started asking my driver when we would take their land in Phulbari, meaning she understood that compensation would be given. I think the negative mindset about Phulbari is not there anymore. If the government wishes, it can try to see."

There is so much to take in about this interview, and all sounds positive, obviously with it being about an hour long, it has very much been reduced down, but as Pappi has said, we can add in the next few days!

There are lots of standout moments within the video, but for starters I did like the following question, and shows that the government at the highest level do have the intention of mining their own coal ………

“The government’s election manifesto mentioned maximizing the production and use of coal resources”…

Jamesss, thanks for your concern its, much appreciated. :))) but due to the joys of taking early retirement, I actually had a lovely morning and then afternoon out relaxing with friends, -;)

As for the new video interview made only last week .... well you will just have to wait and see whats said in it hahaha

Jamesss,, you posted ......." To avoid similar setbacks in 2024, authorities have directed electrical power generators to use

more coal, and have approved record large coal imports."

Do we not think thats the end of the road for now?

If they have already established extra quoters of imported coal for this year?

Hahaha sorry jamesss, that statement actually made me laugh out loud....... were you hoping or expecting Phulbari to be digging up coal THIS year hahhaha .... sorry for laughing, but that was funny :))))