Energy, the big challenge of new government

Syed Fattahul Alim

The degree of development and affluence of a society so far was measured by the amount of energy it could consume. And of course, for energy consumption at a higher level, one had to produce as well as buy it from other countries, if necessary. High rise buildings fitted with endless air conditioners and fluorescent bulbs, the roads packed with fuel guzzling motorized vehicles, big factories consuming hundreds of watts of electricity and the homes using no end of electrical and electronic gadgets as well as heating and cooling devices-these have been the hallmarks of development and growth. In a word, our technological civilisation until recently has been all about spending energy with gay abandon. Strangely enough, the basic source of energy that humanity has been spending with such a carefree manner is not inexhaustible. Now at the end of the day good sense has at last prevailed on us, for the recklessness in energy use has not only depleted the reserve of fossil fuel globally, it has also inflicted irreparable loss to the natural environment people live in.

Hence is the call for conserving energy. The energy has to be conserved for protecting the environment as well as for keeping the wheels of development and growth in motion, though at a slower pace, at least for the time being. At the same time, we have to use other forms of energy that are renewable and sustainable. The cause of saving and conserving energy and increasing our reliance on the renewable sources of energy has meanwhile become a global movement. That such movement is the life and death question for a least developed and energy-deficit country like Bangladesh need not be overemphasised.

It is against the backdrop of the global energy scenario that Professor M Tamim the special assistant to the chief adviser of the outgoing caretaker government at the fag end of his office has launched the national campaign for energy conservation and the use of renewable energy. In the same breath, he has also alerted the newly elected government to the issue of looming energy crisis and the need to explore and exploit the existing reserves of fossil energy like coal as well as the oil and gas deposits at the offshore sites in the Bay.

Professor Tamim, however, stressed that the newly elected government will have to take decision on the extraction of these conventional energy resources of the country within the next six months in order that ongoing pace of economic growth might be continued. The element of urgency noticeable in the call of Professor Tamim, who is also an expert on energy, is understandable. For the supply of natural gas from the existing gas fields in operation has fallen drastically with the result that industries and power plants that run on gas has gone out of operation in different places. One has also to note that hundreds of motorised vehicles now run on gas. It is expected that the already dwindling gas supply will come to a complete halt in the next two years. What will then happen to the households, the big and small industrial enterprises and the transport vehicles that are crucially dependent on the supply of gas after 2011? That would be a matter of serious concern for the political government that has just been voted into office.

Of all the hurdles that the just formed government of grand alliance led by the Awami League will have to overcome, energy should be placed on top. For the government will have to act very fast to address the looming energy crunch.

Therefore, the energy expert of the erstwhile caretaker government Prof. Tamim has rightly advised the newly installed alliance government at its very inception that it must take decision on the exploration of the coal and offshore gas and oil deposits within the next six months.

What should then be the position of the government that has just taken charge on the energy issue?

For any government, energy policy should be at the core of its development thinking. The first task on this score should be to take stock of the overall energy situation of the country. The question that the new government should ask itself at the moment is: What is the size of the conventional source of energy we are left with in the form of coal, gas and oil, both on land and at the offshore sites?

At this point, it will be necessary to clear some points that come into direct conflict with the major thrust that all the nations on earth are now putting on the issue of energy use.

Notwithstanding the fact that we started our discussion highlighting the negative aspects of fossil energy use, we are still talking about exploiting the existing fossil energy deposits of the country. Are not these two issues at cross purposes with each other? The apparent conflict of purpose as noted here is inevitable, especially at this phase of transition from one energy base to another without interrupting the present pace of economic development and growth. What is more, the unconventional and renewable sources of energy on which the future growth of the economy will depend are still not clearly defined. So, while the search for a clear and stable alternative energy use will continue through trial and error, we will also have to put the reserves of conventional energy to good use. And since the reserves of fossil fuel now in use is fast depleting, it will also be necessary to exploit the other unexplored deposits, whether onshore or offshore, of fossil fuel sooner than later.

How best we might use the non-conventional and the renewable options of energy available? Among the non-conventional and renewable sources of energy are the bio-gas, the hydro power, solar, wind, nuclear and other options, if any. As the special assistant to the head of the outgoing caretaker government said, the new government may find the energy policy approved by them handy in this respect.

In fact, hitting upon the idea of an appropriate energy-mix should be the point of departure of the new government's energy policy. At the same time, the campaign for saving and conserving energy should be continued to motivate people to use energy in more efficient ways.

The measures to conserve and make efficient use of energy as well as the search for the renewable options are not mere stopgap measure as it may appear at first sight. For we are to face facts as the days of mother nature's treasure trove of fossil energy are practically over. So, on the energy front, humanity will have to fend for itself until an efficient, fresh, risk-free, and preferably renewable and, of course, inexhaustible source of energy is available.

The issue of conserving and making efficient use of energy should not be taken as another slogan for mere slogan's sake. The government will have to devise appropriate strategy as well as invest in the research for finding our own unique alternative to non-conventional options.