Rejecting the concerns expressed by various quarters, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that he will take environmental activists and journalists to the Rampal power plant site.
At a press conference in the city, Hamid said that he would sit with the opposing parties, environmental activists and journalists, and also take them to the construction site to assess whether the plant would affect the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
His remark came when the Communist Party of Bangladesh and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal hosted a road march towards the 1,320MW coal-based Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant at Rampal, Bagerhat. Bangladesh and Indian governments are implementing the project beside the Poshur River.
“I think a visit to the place will remove the misconceptions. We recently sat with Transparency International, Bangladesh and they told us that they had information gap on the initiative,” he added.
Nasrul claimed that there was no similarity between the protesters’ demands and the real scenario of the project area.
Dhaka Reporters Unity President Shakhawat Hossain Badsha delivered welcome speech and General Secretary Elias Hossain conducted the programme.
The state minister said that the government would take up more large-scale renewable power projects alongside the coal-fired power projects.
He also expressed resentment at the recent withdrawal of 41 foreign staff from three power plant projects by Spanish company Isolux on security grounds.
About Bangladesh’s move to import electricity, he said that the government had been working to import electricity from Nepal and Bhutan. “But Indian help is essential to make it a success.”
On extraction of coal from underground mines, he said that the issue requires political decision and preparation. “The government is now thinking to implement a pilot project to extract coal through open-pit method at the northern part of Barapukuria coal mine.”
He also mentioned that a team was working on LNG (liquefied natural gas) import and the government would sign a final contract by December this year so that the imported LNG can reach within the next 18 months.
A memorandum of understanding was signed with Qatar for procuring LNG and building an LNG terminal at Maheshkhali, he said. Officials of Excelerate Energy, Singapore, would visit Bangladesh to finalise the Terminal Use Agreement on October 21, the state minister added.
Nasrul said that Japan was providing a huge support to implement different power plant projects as part of its strategy on Big-B economic zone. It has a plan to shift its industries in Bangladesh in future.
In response to a query, he said that the government was working to formulate a policy for the use and price of LPG. “It will be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office soon. After getting approval, the government will set the price of LPG for its use in motor vehicles.”
He also said that the government has set a target of covering 90% population under the Rural Electrification Board by 2018.