USAID likely to help improve energy sector

USAID, an American overseas development agency, in collaboration with the World Bank is likely to cooperate with Bangladesh to improve efficiency of the country's energy sector.
According to a power ministry official, a four-member high-level team from the American state department visited Bangladesh last week and held discussions and a workshop with the country's top-level officials from the power and energy sector in this regard.
He said through the workshop and discussions two major areas of investment were identified to increase energy efficiency in public and private sectors.
These are conversion of simple cycle power plants to combined cycle ones and improvement of efficiency of captive power plants and boilers in different textiles, steel mills and dyeing factories in the private sector.
"If simple cycle power plants are converted into combined cycle ones, their efficiency will increase and those will generate additional power of nearly 300 MW," said the official who is closely working with the matter.
He also noted that there are about 2,200 MW generating captive power plants at different private textiles, steel mills and dyeing factories across the country. The gas-fired captive plants are now running on only 20 percent efficiency, similarly, more than a thousand boilers are also running at different factories with very low efficiency.
"But if the exhausted heat is captured and utilised properly through efficient technology, the machines' efficiency levels can possibly increase to 90 percent from 20," said the official, adding that co-generation method could be applied for the purpose.
Talking to the news agency, Tapos Kumar Roy, additional secretary to the power ministry, said they have collected data on potential areas for technical support and investment.
Officials said the American donor agency's move for sustainable energy is in line with the United Nation Secretary General's special initiative for "Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All)" programme.