Dhaka wants to get connected with 4-nation gas pipeline. Govt sends primary proposal to Kabul

Bangladesh wants to get connected with a four-nation Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI) to ensure an alternative supply for its growing fossil fuel demand in the coming years, a senior Energy Division official has confirmed.

The gas pipeline will begin from Turkmenistan and pass through Afghanistan and Pakistan to connect India. The intra-continent gas supply line - TAPI will cost more than US $ 7.6 billion to construct.

The Bangladesh government recently expressed its willingness to Afghanistan government and sent a proposal in this regard.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Division last month sent a letter to Economic Relations Division (ERD) to move for connecting the country with the multi-billion dollar project through the foreign affairs ministry.

Later, the foreign affairs ministry forwarded the government’s expression of interest letter to the Afghan energy ministry, the official said.

The 1,735-kilometre (1,078-mile) pipeline is likely to be operational by 2016 to supply gas from the Galkynysh gas field (previously named South Yoiotan Osman) of Turkmenistan which has a proven recoverable gas reserves of 16 trillion cubic metres.

Turkmenistan has the world’s fourth-largest gas reserves and energy-hungry South Asian countries are eager to tap this source in the changing global scenario where the United States strongly oppose any purchase of energy resources from the oil and gas-rich Iran.

In major developments, Indian cabinet approved a proposal to purchase Turkey gas last week while the Afghan Taliban has assured recently that they would not sabotage the project, according to media reports.

“We moved with the project following a proposal from Bangladesh Power Development Board which was raised during a recent meeting of the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources,” the official said.

Prime Minister’s power and energy adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, state minister for power and energy Muhammed Enamul Huq, Energy and Mineral Resources Division secretary Mohammed Mesbahuddin, among other senior officials, attended the meeting.

“We were in a hurry to sand the proposal to the TAPI partner considering the country’s energy security,” the official said. However, it was too late to send the proposal as the gas pipeline partners had already signed series of deals to complete the project, he added.

The government insiders said gas import through the pipeline would not be cost effective for Bangladesh even if the TAPI group agrees to include Bangladesh with the network.

They suggested that instead of pursuing TAPI, the country should focus on the installation of a tri-nation gas pipeline among Myanmar, India and Bangladesh so that the country is able to procure gas at low rate compared to that from TAPI.

Last year, Russian oil giant Gazprom proposed Bangladesh to develop a tri-nation energy block with neighbouring India and Myanmar through installation of a cross-border gas pipeline.

Gazprom also expressed its willingness to strike a deal with Bangladesh similar to those the company has already sealed with India and Myanmar. The deal was supposed to facilitate creating an integrated geographical area of gas and oil exploration, said the official.

A proposal for tri-nation gas pipeline through Bangladesh was earlier raised during the last BNP-led four party alliance government, but the negotiation failed due to the then government’s political stance as well as the conditions the government had tagged with it.

Economic activities in the country are faced with a serious setback due to severe gas crisis. The country now has a gas supply deficit of over 500 million cubic feet (mmcf) per day against the demand of over 2,500 mmcfd.

Source: Dailysun