part 1: overview of cogeneration and its status in asia - Fire

Summary of country study – Bangladesh 131
CHAPTER 3: SUMMARY OF COUNTRY STUDY - BANGLADESH
3.1 Overview of Energy Situations, Policies & Strategies
3.1.1 Overview of energy situation in Bangladesh
The known conventional energy sources of Bangladesh are natural gas, coal, peat, oil,
hydropower and biomass fuels.
Natural gas
Out of the non-renewable resources of energy, only natural gas is being extracted
commercially. According to Bangladesh natural gas statistics as of October 1998, the total
reserve of gas is 23.093 tcf (trillion cubic feet) of which 13.737 tcf is recoverable; 2.855 tcf
had been extracted up to January 1977. During the last thirty years the Government has
made consistent efforts in expanding the use of natural gas. Its share in total primary
commercial fuels increased from 30.7 to 61.4 per cent during the period 1973 to 1997
whereas the share of petroleum fuel consumption has decreased from 67.7 to 37.6 per cent
for the same period. During the preparatory stage of formulation of the National Energy
Policy, the constraints of natural gas supply beyond 2010 were highlighted to draw the
attention of policy makers. Subsequently the government accepted the findings and allowed
the participation of International Oil Companies (IOCs) in the exploration and development of
hydrocarbon sector.
Coal
Coal resource deposits of about 1,782 million tons have been discovered in three locations.
Total coal reserve at Jamalgonj is about 1,054 million tons whose extraction has not yet
been found to be economically viable. About 285 million tons of coal deposit has been
discovered in Dinajpur. Another coal reserve of 400 million tons has been discovered in
Rangpur. Though there is no power plant operating with coal as fuel at present, coal mining
from Barapukuria will probably take a significant part in electricity generation after 2000.
More than 80 per cent of coal from Barapukuria is expected to be used in a 250 MW coalbased
power plant. Total peat reserves of Bangladesh have been estimated as 600 million
tons. In some rural areas, locally extracted peat is used for domestic cooking and in small
industries.
Oil
A small oil deposit has been discovered in Haripur (Sylhet) with an estimated recoverable
reserve of 1.6 million tons of crude oil. Indigenous oil supply makes very little contribution in
meeting the total demand of petroleum fuels that is met from imported resources.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is responsible for overall management of
petroleum fuels in the country.
Electricity
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is fully responsible for the electricity
generation and distribution network in Bangladesh, except Dhaka city area and some rural
areas which are managed by Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA) and Rural
Electrification Board (REB). Though the installed capacity is 3,091 MW, maximum
generation on 28 July 1997 was only 1,600 MW against the maximum demand of 2,168 MW.
On average, there is a shortfall of between 300 and 450 MW. Only about 19 per cent of total
population are electrified at present. The demand for electricity is expected to rise at a rate
of 15 per cent annually. Gas-based generation (especially combined cycle power plants) has