The government will soon form a taskforce on energy management and conservation aiming to ensure proper use of energy resources in industries and reduce systems loss, energy adviser to Prime Minister told a seminar Tuesday.

 

"I call upon our business community to immediately form an energy efficiency and conservation taskforce to ensure effective energy management in industries as our fossil fuel and gas reserve will be exhausted in near future," said prime minister's energy adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.

 

Besides, energy efficiency will enable the industries to realise carbon credit and we will gradually go for using green energy, he added.

 

He was speaking as the chief guest at a seminar on "Promoting Primary Energy Efficiency in Industries" organised by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) at its auditorium in the city. BGMEA President Shafiul Islam was in the chair.

 

Professor Ijaz Hossain of chemical engineering department, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Abdul Aziz Khan, managing director, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Co Ltd presented the keynote papers.

 

"There will be incentive as well as technical and logistic support for the energy efficient industries," the adviser added.

 

Mr Chowdhury said the government will add another 1500 megawatt (mw) of electricity to the national grid by the year end and various steps are underway to increase gas supply including contract signing with IOCs.

 

Addressing the seminar, BGMEA president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin pointed out that the second largest foreign exchange earning sector has been incurring a loss of Tk 7.6 billion (760 crore) due to use of 245 million (24.5 crore) litre diesel oil to solve electricity crisis in the sector.

 

He also said the sector incurs a loss of Tk 13.12 billion (1312 crore) due to load shedding, low pressure of gas supply and damage to machineries.

 

"The garments sector requires 710 mw of electricity per day where as it gets just the half of the requirement. On an average the sector faces a load shedding of five to seven hours a day which has increased cost of production by 25 per cent," Mr Islam added.

 

He said the overall losses in the sector due to power crisis is Tk 20.72 billion (2072 crore) which earned US$ 12.50 billion last year employing about 3.5 million people.

 

Power secretary Abul Kalam Azad said systems loss in energy sector means theft and it has reduced from 39 per cent to 13 per cent over the years.

 

"I hope after introduction of smart card and smart metre for power and gas the loss will be reduced further and increase efficient use of energy in the industries," he said.

 

Mr Azad said the government will give a subsidy of Tk 40 billion (4000 crore) to the power sector this year which is not feasible.

 

"The electricity bill paid by our customers are much lower than that of the production cost. So the proposal to reduce pick hour electricity rate should be reconsidered by business community," said the secretary.

 

He said the government will buy 30 per cent electricity from the merchant power plants to promote private sector power production.

 

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president AK Azad said the situation in the gas sector is frustrating though it's better in power sector.

 

"The government plan to solve gas crisis by setting up pipelines and compressors has not progressed over the last two years," he said.

 

He called upon the power ministry officials to take care of unabated corruption in the ministry and reduce systems loss.

 

Source : FE Report