Mohammad Hossain, director general of Power Cell under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, recently sat with Bangla Tribune for an exclusive interview on the government’s initiatives to save energy amid the global crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Bangladesh has taken many initiatives to save energy. How much energy is actually being saved?
This is a global crisis. Each country has adopted a different approach. Some have increased the prices of commodities, some are saving energy and others are doing both. However, we prioritised saving energy first. We have reduced power generation by 2,000MW per day. This has helped a lot in saving foreign currency.
How are consumers responding to this initiative?
When the country is in crisis, the people always come forward. This time is no exception. Common people are saving electricity by responding to the call of the government. We have seen that people are now careful in using electricity in various government and private institutions and even in their homes. This is what we wanted. We are grateful to the people of the country.
Many are saying that more load shedding should be done, if necessary, to deal with the global energy crisis. However, prices should not increase. What does the government think about this?
We are trying to keep the load shedding to a tolerable level. It’s not like we are unable to generate electricity. We are reducing production to save energy as much as possible. Production can be increased if desired. Previously, power generation was taken to a state where there was no load shedding. People may be having some trouble now with scheduled load shedding. We are very sorry about that. Surely the coming days will bring good news for everyone.
What if the global energy situation becomes worse?
We don't think the situation will get worse. This time it did not rain that much in the monsoon. So the heatwave still exists. But the weather will start getting cooler again from October. Demand for electricity will then hopefully decrease. There will also be no need for load shedding then.
The power system master plan earlier included only power generation. This time, fuel is also included. What is the current situation there?
I have included energy in the power system master plan after a lot of thought. Primary fuel as a resource is very important in power generation. We are also trying to formulate a master plan for energy. This will make it possible to understand when the fuel will be sourced from where and for how much power generation.
There is said to be a new emphasis on renewable energy. What is the reason behind it?
The major advantage of renewable energy generation is that there is no need to import energy from abroad. If we get support from solar power for an average of four and a half hours a day throughout the year, it will save us a lot of energy. That’s why we are prioritising renewable energy.
I am also thinking about the new technologies that are coming into the world in power generation. Research on electricity production from hydrogen gives us hope. We are also placing emphasis on this. We plan to start a pilot project soon.
How reasonable is it to suddenly cancel plans to build coal-fired power plants?
When the price of oil increases in the world market, the price of all types of fuel increases. As a result, the price of coal has also increased. We haven't completely moved away from coal-fired power plant plans. The power plants will begin production from October. Then the crisis will start to abate. Coal-fired power plants are being constructed at Payra, Rampal, and Matarbari. All of them are large and baseload power plants.
What do you think about reducing foreign dependence on primary energy sources?
Petrobangla has already taken initiatives to increase gas production. It is also considering the sources of coal extraction. We are not only importing. We are rather trying to increase the production of fuel from domestic sources.
All South Asian countries are trapped in an energy shortage. If all countries produce hydropower together and share it with each other, this situation can be brought under control. Bangladesh has been trying for a long time. Should these issues be brought up again in a regional forum?
Among South Asian countries, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar have huge hydropower potential. We have already signed an agreement with Nepal. Besides, discussions are also going on with Bhutan in this regard. If Myanmar and India agree to join, then we all can move forward with this initiative. But for this, the neighboring countries need to reach a political consensus.
