RANGPUR — Work on a potentially major coalfield discovered in Khalashpir in Pirganj upazila of Rangpur has been stalled by government indecision for nearly two decades, leaving one of the country’s largest energy resources untapped, officials said.
Four exploratory wells were drilled in roughly 25 square kilometers of Khalashpir between 1989 and 1990. Three of them yielded high-grade bituminous coal. A survey report estimated total reserves at about 451 million tonnes, of which roughly 210 million tonnes are recoverable.
The survey report was sent to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and to Petrobangla in August 2006, but the project remains awaiting approval. Anup Kumar Ray, the deputy general manager of the project, said research work was continuing.
“We have prepared the necessary data. The final decision now rests with the government,” Ray said.
Energy analysts said Bangladesh is being forced to rely on imported coal and expensive liquefied natural gas to address the current energy crisis, even as vast fuel reserves remain unused beneath the village of Khalashpir (Magura) in Pirganj upazila.
If the mine is opened, the coal produced could generate about 1,200 megawatts of electricity, according to officials familiar with the project. Producing about 3 million tonnes a year could sustain output for roughly 50 years, meeting domestic demand and creating an opportunity to earn foreign currency through exports. Despite the long delay, no final decision on implementation has been made.
Twelve officers and staff currently work at the project, mainly on research and maintenance. Opening the mine would transform the local economy, create new industrial opportunities and generate jobs, residents said.
Farhad, a local resident, said the entire economic picture of the area could change if the Pirganj mine begins operating, creating jobs for thousands of people, fostering new industrial zones and improving transport and infrastructure. Another resident, Mahidul Islam, said extraction would meet domestic coal demand and open the door to exports, an outcome he said would play an important role in the national economy.
Maulana Nurul Amin, a member of parliament from Pirganj, said he would raise the issue in parliament if given the opportunity, so that steps could be taken quickly to begin extraction.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report