Participants in a dialogue on
gas utilisation yesterday were
divided on the gas export issue
but agreed on the country's need
for huge investment in the sector. The
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)
organised the dialogue on "National
Committee Reports on the Gas Sector:
Where Do We Go From Here?"
at the CIRDAP auditorium.
CPD Chairman Professor Rehman
Sobhan moderated the discussion
attended by lawmakers, political
leaders, experts, academics, businessmen
and representatives of international
oil companies (IOCs). Chairman
of the gas utilisation committee
Azimuddin Ahmed presented the
brief of the report and Edmond
Gomes, member of the reserve committee,
briefed the audience on the major
issues in its report.
State Minister for Energy AKM
Mosharraf Hossain said the country
has to find a solution to the
best possible utilisation of gas
for development of the country
as well as the energy sector. The
country needs, Mosharraf said,
an investment of at least US$20
billion for the development of
the energy sector over the next
30 years.
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, political
secretary to Leader of the Opposition
Sheikh Hasina, pointed out that
there was lack of consistency
and clarity in the policy pursued
by the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist
Party (BNP). Referring to Unocal
Bangladesh operations chief James
R Stone's comment, Saber said,
"I think Bangladesh has gas
resource, but I am not sure whether
the reserve is enormous. "Earlier,
James R Stone mentioned that Bangladesh
has an enormous natural gas resource
base to meet domestic needs with
surplus for export.
Former state minister and Awami
League (AL) leader Abul Hossain
Chowdhury said the debate on the
gas issue has focussed on the
wrong point -- gas export. "Our
focus should be how better we
can utilise the gas resource for
the development of the country. "At
one point, Rehman Sobhan has asked
James Stone of Unocal whether
they have reservation if the government
decides not to export gas and
pays their bills for the gas they
explore. James Stone replied, "We
want to sell gas to Bangladesh...not
to India." Even he tried
to give a calculation with a notion
that the government would not
be able to pay their bills.
Faruque Khan MP of the AL cautioned
that there should not be a situation
in which Bangladesh has to buy
gas from India at a higher price
in future. Wali Bhuiyan of the
Foreign Investors' Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
asked why none from the business
community was included in any
committees. "The issue of
best utilisation of gas is a business
decision," he thinks.
Mahbubur Rahman, president of
the Bangladesh chapter of International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC) said
the country signed far more PSCs
than required to explore gas for
domestic consumption.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, member
of the utilisation committee,
said the historical growth rate
of energy demand is between 10
and 11 per cent and they have
presented three scenarios based
on five, six and seven per cent
gas consumption growth rate.At
seven per cent gas consumption
growth rate, the shortfall of
gas supply from the present reserve
will start in 2014, he said.
Petrobangla Chairman Syed Sajedul
Karim said successive governments
have put Petrobangla in a position
to sell gas to other government
corporations at a subsidised rate.
