Dhaka, Aug 16 (IANS) The ongoing energy crisis in Bangladesh will take at least two years to resolve, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said on Sunday, local media reported.
According to the minister, the problems around electricity and gas could not be resolved in six months or a year but would require at least two years, Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo reported.
Chowdhury made the remarks during an event organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham), where he was the Chief Guest.
He noted that it would take around one and a half years or two years to build a floating LNG terminal, suggesting that the crisis could not be resolved before then.
The crisis has attracted public frustration as the government has ordered load shedding due to reduced power generation in the country, local media reported.
Prothom Alo noted that the offices of power distribution companies asked for help from police headquarters and law-enforcement agencies in many districts to increase security.
“The government has also changed the operating hours of shopping malls, markets and shops across the country as part of efforts to conserve electricity. Under the new schedule, these establishments may remain open from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.,” the newspaper reported.
The measures that took effect Wednesday include turning off illuminated billboards by 7 p.m., while any type of decorative lights have been ordered to remain off entirely.
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmud noted the government’s limited capacity, saying that there is no other option to manage the load shedding.
“All I want to say is, we are working… In this time of crisis, I have nothing to do. Because now I will not be able to extract gas or, without a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), I will not be able to extract the gas that I have,” he was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo on Thursday.
–IANS
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