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The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association has requested the government to replace the existing 250-pound per square inch compressor of the Mymensingh power plant of Rural Power Company Limited with a 150-PSI compressor to reduce wastage of gas and increase supply of gas to Gazipur, Sreepur and Bhaluka industrial zones.
The BTMA in a letter on September 15 to the state minister for power, energy and mineral resources said that the production in the export-oriented spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing and printing mills in the area remained almost suspended due to gas crisis.
The supply of gas to the industries in Gazipur, Sreepur and Bhaluka areas remained suspended from 6:00pm to 6:00am as a huge amount of gas was being wasted due to the high-powered compressor in the power plant of RPCL, the letter said.
‘If the existing 250-PSI compressor is replaced with a 150-PSI, the generation of electricity will remain intact and a huge amount of gas will be saved. Moreover, it would be possible to run factories from 6:00pm to 7:00am every day with the saved gas,’ the BTMA said.
More than 10 lakh people are employed in the factories located in Gazipur, Sreepur and Bhaluka industrial zones and the BTMA member mills in the areas contribute $10 billion to export earnings, it said.
If the supply situation of gas is not improved, many of the factories become sick leaving huge unemployment and the law and order situation will deteriorate in the areas, the BTMA letter said.
Without ensuring uninterrupted gas supply, it would not be possible to attain the export earnings target of $60 billion in the financial year 2022-23, set by the government, the letter added.
One of the factory owners of Bhakuka area said that although the approved PSI for the power plant of RPCL was 150, the plant was using 250-PSI compressor causing suspension of industrial production.
Abdul Momen Talukder, deputy general manager of The Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, told New Age on Sunday that most probably the approved PSI for the power plant of RPCL was lower than 250, but it used 250-PSI compressor to get required amount of gas amid low pressure of gas.
He admitted that gas might have saved if 150-PSI compressor was used in the power plant.
Momen, however, said that Titas was not giving gas to the power plant suspending industrial supply rather industries in the zones remained shut at night due to the supply shortage of gas.
(NA)
