Bangladesh's over-reliance on imports to meet its energy demand has deepened the country's risks substantially amid the ongoing global energy supply chain disruption, said an energy expert today.

Mohammad Tamim, a professor at the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineering Department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said the country has hardly made any investment in recent years in exploring natural gas and coal.

"It relies on imports for the items to reduce the financial risks associated with exploration. This has created a risk for the supply and prices of energy products."

He made the comments at a media briefing and sectoral discussion on recent challenges facing the economy. The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the event.

According to Prof Tamim, Bangladesh mostly depends on the Bibiyana Gas Field to meet the demand for gas.

The gas field usually meets up around 1,000 cubic feet of gas out of a total of 2,300 cubic feet of natural gas produced in the country.

"Bangladesh may fall into substantial risk any time if the gas production is disrupted," he said.

The energy expert recommended focusing on coal-based power production and renewable energy to meet energy demand.

At the event, Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the CPD, said depending on imported LNG alone would be too burdensome and uncertain to ensure an uninterrupted gas supply for the domestic industry and the power sector. 

"Immediate measures to explore gas in old gas fields are required."