Bangladesh News

Energy experts at a seminar yesterday said due to the lack of a proper energy policy, investments in the sector have been plundered and contracts that are against the national interest have been signed with different foreign companies.

They placed emphasis on setting up an institution that would help formulate a proper energy policy for the country as well as train local experts and technicians who should be able to explore, extract and utilise the energy resources.

Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) in association with Bangladesh Environment Network (Ben) organised the seminar on “Energy Sector and Development in Bangladesh” yesterday at the Planning and Development Academy auditorium in the capital’s Neelkhet area.

Energy experts, professors of different universities, economists, politicians and environmentalists spoke at the seminar.

They said all governments have signed contacts with foreign companies ignoring the national interests and policies on energy.

“International energy companies are working to systematically grab our energy resources and foreign-aided development projects are helping them to achieve their goal,” said Prof Anu Muhammad of Department of Geology, Jahangirnagar University.

Talking about the Phulbari coalmine, he said according to the contract signed with Asia Energy, Bangladesh was supposed to get only six percent of the production as royalty while in the original contract, signed with the Australian company BHP, the royalty was 20 percent.

“The coalmine contract was transferred to Asia Energy from BHP in 1998 but no government gazette notifying the people of the matter was published then,” he said adding that most of the contracts were signed secretly ignoring national interests.

Eminent economist Prof Muzaffer Ahmed said the demand for energy is increasing tremendously and if the Third World War ever happens, it would probably be over energy and water.

He said a strong institution should be set up immediately to deal with the issues of the energy sector and the first task of the institution will be to formulate a national pro-people and pro-environment energy policy.

Awami League Agriculture Affairs Secretary Dr Abdur Razzak said the BNP-Jamaat alliance government invested around Tk 18,000 crore but failed to produce even a single megawatt of additional electricity in last five years.

Prof Nazrul Islam presented a proposal “Resolution on energy: Towards a pro-people and pro-environment energy strategy for Bangladesh”. Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud, Communist Party leader Muzahidul Islam Selim, Prof Badrul Imam, Prof Hossain Mansur, Prof MM Akash, Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah, Engineer Nurul Islam, Dr Sarwat Chowdhury, Prof Mahbuba Nasrin and Prof Nim Chandra Bhoumik also spoke at the seminar.