Bhola gas for local industries

The government plans to use Bhola’s natural gas locally by developing gas-based industries, as connecting the district’s reserves to the mainland through pipelines could take at least seven years, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told parliament on Wednesday (9 September).

“If we want to bring the gas available in Bhola to the mainland through a pipeline, the plan will take at least around seven years,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from reserved women’s-seat MP Sultana Ahmed.

Instead of waiting for a pipeline connection, the government plans to establish a fertiliser factory and another 500MW power plant in Bhola, the prime minister said.

It also plans to convert 60 million cubic feet per day of gas from the Veduria and Ilisha gas fields into LNG and transport it to the Khulna power hub through lighterage operations.

Tarique said the government was seeking to unlock Bhola’s economic potential by encouraging investment in gas-based industries, noting that some entrepreneurs were already working on such projects.

Such investment would create jobs and help expand the local economy, he said.

Under the Five-Year Strategic Framework, the government has also designated Bhola and its adjacent islands as the main hub of the “Central Zone” of the blue economy.

The development priorities include hilsa and fisheries conservation, integrated agricultural development in char areas, protected coastal infrastructure and navigation safety.

Tarique said Bhola’s strategic location, natural gas reserves, agricultural productivity and coastal fisheries potential had been incorporated into the regional development framework, with an emphasis on long-term investment and sustainable use of its natural and economic resources.