Inefficient and inappropriate use of natural gas in different sectors have incurred losses of Tk 4,074.6 crore per year in the country, an independent investigation by The New Nation Staff Reporter Shamim Jahangir.

About 930 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas is burning in nonproductive way everyday against the total availability of 1988mmcfd. Of the 930mmcfd of gas wastage a day, 440mmcfd is in the power plants, 200mmcfd in captive power plants, 110mmcfd in domestic uses, 100mmcfd in industry, 50mmcfd in fertilizer plants, 20mmcfd in small power plants, 10mmcfd in commercial and others, the investigation found. Due to inefficient use of gas, the government has incurred losses of Tk 11.31 crore daily which comes to Tk 339.55 crore a month, the investigation revealed. For power plants, the government has allocated 750 mmcfd of gas against the requirement of 896mmcfd to produce electricity.

Most of the 30-years old power plants of Power Development Board (PDB) have the gas consumption efficiency level between 30 per cent and 33 per cent, PDB Chairman ASM Alamgir Kabir told The New Nation. Thus wastage comes to 67 percent to 70 per cent in the old plants. He added that the efficiency of the gas-fired combined cycle power plants are 55 per cent effectives on an average. "The PDB has a plan to stop the inefficient gas-fired power plants by 2013," he said. Besides, the government is supplying 285mmcfd of gas to captive power plants against the demand of 295mmcfd.

The consumption efficiency levels in captive power plants is from 20 per cent to 25 per cent and wastage as high as to 80 per cent. Most of the captive power producers have bought old and worn out generators to produce their own electricity, the investigation shows. "Lack of vigilance on the part of government agencies and proper rules and regulations to persuade the power producers to buy the inefficient generators are responsible for their huge national loss," a senior official of the Petrobangla told The New Nation on the condition of anonymity. In industrial sector, the Petrobangla supplies 324mmcfd of gas against the demand of 338mmcfd. "Most of industrial units use inefficient boilers," a Titas official said, adding, "Boiler inspectors do not inspect the industrial units' properly as they take bribe from industry owners."

The Petrobangla had placed series of recommendations to improve the boiler efficiency in industrial units to the Ministry of Power and Energy during the rule of Caretaker Government. But the government is not implementing the recommendations, a Petrobangla official said. For domestic users, the Petrobangla supplies 210mmcfd of gas against the demand of 220mmcfd. "Nearly half of the gas have been used in an inefficient way as the consumers use imperfect burners," an official of Titas said adding that the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) should take a vital role to throw out the faulty burners from the market. "Besides the BSTI and BCSIR can introduce standard burners to save national resources," he suggested.

Talking to the New Nation, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Co Ltd Managing Director Md Abdul Aziz Khan admitted the huge gas wastage due to inappropriate use. He said, we can meet our gas demand from the existing production if we are able to reduce the wastage in gas utilization. Former Energy Auditor Mostafizur Rahman said that the authorities have save a huge quantity of gas by improving industrial boilers. "We have wast a huge quantity of gas due to lack of government's inspection and awareness of owners in industrial units," he said adding that the production cost can reduce significantly if the government regulate the use of boilers. Petrobangla's Director, Development and Operations, Md Yusuf Ali told The New Nation yesterday that the government is concerned about the wastage of gas in different sectors. The government will take a concrete decision in this regard immediately, he added. "We can overcome the gas shortage if we use it properly," he said. The present demand for gas is 2200mmcfd because of about 50 per cent wastage.

-New Nation