State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that Bangladesh needs cooperation from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to make area-based investment master plans in accordance with electricity demand.
He made the remarks while meeting with a 12-member JICA delegation, led by the agency's internal advisory committee president Dr. Tatsufumi Yamagata at his ministry office in the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday.
Seeking Jica's cooperation he also said industrialisation is taking place in the country on a regional -demand basis.
Demands of different areas are not the same and demand patterns vary by region, supply mechanisms also differ, he said adding planning is necessary to consider these aspects.
The State Minister urged the JICA to study about the proper use of the phase-2 area under Moheshkhali-Matarbari Integrated Infrastructure Development Initiative (MIDI).
Initially there was a plan to set up another coal-fired power plant in Matarbari but later that plan was cancelled.
Nasrul Hamid said that it’s time to think about what kind of alternative energy based power plant should be set up there with more profitability and who will be the potential customers of it.
He mentioned that there have been some proposals for solar power plants and discussions on the construction of the LNG terminal are well advanced.
Energy demand is increasing continuously for continuous development and therefore, a land based LNG terminal is urgently needed to set up, said Nasrul adding discussions are underway with the MIDI Authorities.
JICA's internal advisory committee president said that there is development in different regions of Bangladesh, which is good for the overall development.
He opined that electricity demands at the Korean EPZ Chittagong can be met by electricity of the Midi area.
Member of the advisory committee and executive vice president of JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) Mayumi Murayama said that he is fascinated by the brilliance of Dhaka.
Different issues including the diversity in industrialisation, investment environment, energy hub, strategies for industrialisation, strategies to reduce carbon emissions in the MIDI area came for discussion in the meeting with the JICA.
Additional Secretary of Power Department Tania Khan, Director General of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain, Deputy Director General of Economic Development Department of Headquarters JICA Jun Saotome, Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh Office Tomohide Ichiguchi, member of Tokyo University and Assistant Professor Dr. Dr. Fumihiko Seta, and MIDI Policy Advisor Koji Takamatsu were present on the occasion.