Rampal, Banshkhali plants should be on top of the list

The decision to scrap 10 coal-fired power plants was taken as they were either not being financed by foreign investors or the sponsoring companies were moving away, said Prof Anu Muhammad at a virtual press conference yesterday.

The member secretary of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports said if the government really thought about the environment, they should scrap Rampal power plant project first.

On Sunday, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid announced the cancellation of 10 coal-fired power plant projects, with a total generation capacity of 8451 MW.

Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED) organised the event following that.

Prof Muhammad said after Rampal, the list of cancellations should have the names of Chattogram's Banshkhali and Cox's Bazar's Matarbari power plants.

There are questions regarding the Environmental Impact Survey (EIA) of the plants.

The government is keen to benefit foreign LNG traders by stopping the discovery and extraction of domestic gas and not prioritising renewable energy, he said.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, praised the government's decision and said the government has finally realised that it needed to move away from the polluting coal-based power plants.

She said the Banshkhali power plant should be on that list.

Kazi Maruful Islam, convener of BWGED, and Hasan Mehedi, general secratery of the organisation, also spoke at the press conference.