Shortage of gas supply – that has entrepreneurs complaining about for long – could soon be a matter of the past, after State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid stated that gas supply to industrial units will increase within a year.
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“We started giving new gas connection to industries. It will gradually increase. We hope the gas supply to industries will be better in one year,” underlined Hamid, while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day international expo on green energy at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka recently.
Apart from gas, the minister also assured of uninterrupted power supply, while urging the industrialists to relocate their units to the government-built economic zones to enjoy the benefit. He also suggested that industries which have captive power plants should go for “co-generation” to increase efficiency of their energy generation and its use.
“If co-generation is introduced in the captive power plants, their efficiency will go up to 60 per cent from existing 20 per cent,” Hamid observed.
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It may be mentioned here that adequate and uninterrupted power and gas supply has been a long-standing demand of the apparel industry of Bangladesh, which is aiming to reach the US$ 50 billion export target by 2021.
Earlier, keeping in consideration the relocation of garment factories from the capital to meet the compliance norms set by the international buyers, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) urged the government to ensure adequate power and gas supply to them. Due to lack of required power and gas, many companies operate through captive power generated by their own management, which increases their production costs. The FBCCI suggested that necessary steps have to be taken by the government to ensure adequate supply of gas and power to promote growth in the garment and textile industry of the country.