A high official team of International Finance Corporation (IFC) will come in Dhaka on 6 January 2015 to discuss about the finance of land-based LNG terminal. The team will set with government on that issue.
The LNG import initiative was taken in 2010. But in five years till 2015, it does not see lights at the end of the tunnel.
Mohammad Hossain Director General of Power Cell, an advisory wing of Power Development Board (PDB), told, “Actually the IFC will come to observe the keenness of the government on setting up land-based LNG terminal in Moheshkhali, Cox’s bazaar”.
He said, whether the IFC will provide the fund for the project will depend on the success of the meeting. If the delegation team satisfied IFC will provide fund for the project.
Beside Bangladesh is suffering from primary energy crisis how long it may take to see LNG being imported in Bangladesh.
Apart from the Power Cell initiative, Petrobangla is working on two such land based terminals of 6 million tonnes capacity each at Maheskhali and Payra. Consultant for pre-feasibility study will start working next month. These will start operation by 2030 and by that time total 2,000 MMCFD of RLNG will be supplied to the national grid.
Earlier the state-owned oil and gas exploration company Petrobangla has been asked to draft a proposal for setting up another land-based Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at Moheshkhali by utilizing the Gas Development Fund (GDF).
To set up Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal national and international companies has submitted Expression of Interest (ELO) to the power division. The terminal will be set up in Moheshkhali. A power division official has said, 1000 cubic feet gas will be processed here.
The government will set up 6000MW of power plant while the LNG terminal project implements. And the state own Petrobangla will set up a floating LNG terminal also in Moheshkhali where 5000MW of power will be generated.