The government is rationing electricity and gas while prioritizing the agriculture sector and industrial areas, said Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the adviser for Energy, Power and Mineral Resources to the prime minister.
He also said the electricity problem is temporary and the government is trying to solve it.
“Nearly all the countries are facing a crisis and this is more acute for developing countries like Bangladesh,” he added.
He was speaking as the chief guest in a seminar titled “Energy Security for Sustainable Development” organized by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) in the capital on Thursday.
“Due to these crises, we are rationing electricity and gas. Many say that the rationing is not done fairly but our policy is to give priority to agriculture and industry,” he added.
He also said that the government is moving very patiently in the energy sector and gas production in the country has increased by 40% since 2009.
The big test now is how to deal with the current global crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, he added.
“We must sacrifice our personal comfort to achieve austerity measures now as we sacrificed during the liberation war,” he added.
He also said that now people have to reduce their demands to help the industry and agriculture sectors.
However, energy and fuel should not only be seen as geological and technical elements but should be seen as geopolitical elements, he added.
In the speech the special guest, Ahmed Kaikaus, principal secretary of the prime minister, said that there is no reason to think that gas or electricity is running out.
“A class is trying to mislead people with false interpretations, which is by no means desirable. We are working to solve the energy crisis. It is a global problem,” he added.
Despite many problems, the government is determined to keep the factory running and the businesses have nothing to worry about, he further said.
In the seminar, businesses demanded a continuous supply of gas and electricity to industrial areas to keep the export activities normal.
Jasim Uddin, president of the FBCCI said in his welcome remarks that the government should emphasize coal-based power generation by using advanced technology and keeping an eye on the environment.
“Moreover, the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited (Bapex) has to increase its capacity,” he added.
Badrul Imam, a former professor at Dhaka University said that Bangladesh is lagging behind in the discovery of new gas fields.
“Neighboring country Myanmar has shown unprecedented success in the discovery of gas fields in the last 10 years, but Bangladesh is lagging which is widening the gas crisis,” he added.
He recommended that the only solution to overcome this crisis is to emphasize the exploration of new gas fields in the Bay of Bengal.
Mohammad Ali Khokon, president of Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association (BTMA) said that gas is the main raw material for production in the textile sector.
He said that if more than 20% gas supply is ensured in the industrial sector, it will be possible to earn $100 billion from export.
He also said that illegal connections should be cut off immediately to save gas and prepaid meters should be established.
The speakers also said that there is a 20% system loss in gas supply and the country will benefit if this can be reduced.
Moreover, they also recommended paying special attention to reducing the tariff rates on the import of solar power equipment.
Ijaz Hossain, former professor of Buet and the panel advisor to the FBCCI, presented the keynote articles in the seminar.
Academics, industrialists, private sector entrepreneurs and government officials took part in the panel and open discussion in the seminar.