December 04, 2008

Bangladesh to export coal after ensuring 50 years needs

It is reported that Bangladesh’s national coal committee working on the draft coal policy said that it would not suggest anything that goes against the country’s interest. It has suggested a limited export of coal after ensuring the country’s 50 years energy security and has left the issue of coal export to a future committee to be set up under the coal sector master plan to be adopted soon.

As a huge investment is involved in coal sector the committee might suggest the government to consider the coal export issue prudently.

About the method for development of the coal field Mr Abdul Matin Patwari former BUET vice chancellor and president of the committee told the meeting that the mining method should match with the consumption requirement of the country’s coal industry.

The committee observed that the total amount of the country’s coal reserve is needed to produce electricity in future, as gas would be exhausted by 2015 if new discovery is not made. So it suggested not going for coal export against the interest of people as people are the real owner of the country’s natural resources. At the same time there should be some room for the investors who will develop the field.

The Bangladesh’s renowned mining expert Md Mosharrof Hussain former chairman of Petrobangla told the meeting that both the open pit and underground method has some limitations. He suggested for underground mining in Barapukuria considering the geological factors such as layer of coal, water and other parameters, which are totally different in Barapukuria. Mosharrof urged the committee to go for open pit mining at Phulbari coal field as they found in Barapukuria underground mining method did not work properly.