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The first sentence did make me laugh!!

We want you as prime minister again: FBCCI president tells PM Hasina

“He also said the problems currently plaguing businesses – especially the energy and dollar crises – were all mitigated due to Hasina's leadership.

At the conference, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman urged the prime minister to give top priority to fuel and energy.

"Smart Bangladesh is a visionary plan of the government. To implement this plan, the production capacity needs to be increased. And to increase the production capacity, the supply of electricity and fuel should be increased. That is why the government should give the highest priority to the power and energy sector."

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/we-want-you-pm-again-fbcci-president-tells-hasina-665754?amp

And just how do they expect to recharge these…. You just can’t make it up!!

https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/amp/news/power/electric-vehicle-maker-komaki-enters-nepal-bangladesh/101771063

Gross reserves now $23.5 billion officially

Just enough to cover the costs of imports for three months!!

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/bb-implements-imf-guidelines-reveals-644b-drop-forex-reserves-664718

“With the West's hypocrisy becoming all too apparent in their collective decision not to fund fossil-fired power plants in developing nations, countries like Bangladesh will have to find alternative financing. It is a matter of life and death for the economy and hopefully the right decisions will be taken this time. The alternative is simply too bleak to imagine.”

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/columns/shift-in-global-energy-markets#google_vignette

Looks like Rampal are going to be short on coal again ….

High Court orders to detain vessel carrying coal for Rampal Power Plant

https://www.dhakatribune.com/court/2023/07/14/high-court-orders-to-detain-vessel-carrying-coal-for-rampal-power-plant

Https://businesspostbd.com/power-energy/tax-holiday-for-up-to-15yrs-for-rampal-power-plant

$3.7b needed to use half power capacity until Dec

“The current power system is not sustainable, said the IMED research, which was revised over a month after its publication on July 8, saying that fossil fuel imports, power plant machinery imports, and capacity charges kept draining dollars.”

https://www.newagebd.net/article/206232/37b-needed-to-use-half-power-capacity-until-dec

Coal crisis at Bangladesh power plant

ONE of the world’s newest, most contested coal-burning power plants began operation in December. By January, it had ground to a halt for a month. Again, in April, it sat idle for 23 days.

The reason: it didn’t have coal to burn.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/focus/2023/07/07/coal-crisis-at-bangladesh-power-plant

Ending capacity charge, repelling indemnity law suggested to stop power sector woes

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/energy/ending-capacity-charge-repelling-indemnity-law-suggested-stop-power-sector-woes?amp

Mounting costs of fossil fuels lead to soaring electricity prices

The government will continue to face various crises as it has neglected domestic resources. All global crises will impact the energy markets," Energy expert Professor Shamsul Alam told the Daily Messenger while expressing his concerns.

Despite being one of the best performing economies in South Asia, Bangladesh's energy vulnerability can be largely attributed to its reliance on imported fossil fuels. While Russia's war in Ukraine has been blamed for this vulnerability, it is important to recognise that the country's failure to utilise its domestic gas and coal resources is a significant hindrance.

https://www.dailymessenger.net/business/news/6111

“The government owes Tk 15,000 crore to the Rampal power plant in unpaid bills, mainly for importing coal.“

At 6:00am on July 2, the electricity demand dropped to 8,930MW, which the authorities failed to meet, resulting in a load-shedding of 142MW.

‘The main reason for failing to meet such low demand is a fuel shortage,’ said Ijaz Hossain.

‘A lot of power plants are sitting idle,’ he said.

Bare minimum power far cry despite 60pc overcapacity

Bangladesh’s biggest power plant, the 1,320MW thermal power plant at Payra, is currently operating at half capacity due to a coal shortage.

https://www.newagebd.net/article/205866/bare-minimum-power-far-cry-despite-60pc-overcapacity

Govt ensures ample coal supply for Payra plant amid dollar crisis

“However, energy expert Prof. Shamsul Alam expressed concerns over potential fuel shortages faced by mega power plants, which heavily rely on imported fuel.

Prof. Alam emphasized the need for proactive measures and preparations to address any unforeseen crises in the future.“

https://www.dailymessenger.net/business/news/6020

Good call Redeyes!

Nice to see the miners from Bara are asking for a decision on open cast mining!

As Bangladesh's oldest mine runs out of coal, its miners are running out of luck

https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/bangladeshs-oldest-mine-runs-out-coal-its-miners-are-running-out-luck-657546?amp

Interesting read …

Just reading again, although the whole article is positive, this is another bit that stands out…..

“According to a proposal sent to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division on January 29 this year, Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited projected that approximately six million tonnes of coal could be produced annually from these two parts if open-pit mining is conducted. ”

“One of the key initiatives has been the expansion of coal-based power plants, like Payra, to reduce dependence on natural gas. However, this strategy has its challenges, as seen in the recent coal shortage. The government is addressing this by securing long-term coal supply contracts and exploring domestic coal mining options.“

https://www.banglanews24.com/english/open-forum/news/bd/120130.details