Page 83 - November 2020

NON-METERED GAS

CONSUMERS CASUALTIES
OF SYSTEM GAIN

Bangladesh's
non-metered gas
The lag in LNG export consumers are now in
peril as they are
looking permanent paying much higher
prices than metered
gas users putting
The government's plan to purchase at least
one-fourth of total LNG from the international them in huge financial
spot market is fading away due to woes and widening
higher-than-expected price,.. The Energy and their hardships. The
Mineral Resources Division under the Ministry of price, fixed for
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources initiated a non-metered gas users, is much higher than the
move to import LNG, or liquefied natural gas, monetary value of average cubic meter gas use by
from the spot market after two years of the them per monthThough there are some wastage in
country's first LNG cargo imports in August gas use, the price appears to be too high even after
2018. So far it could purchase only one LNG considering wastage like gas-use for drying
cargo from the spot market at 'expected' price. clothes, commercial food production with
Global energy prices including that of spot LNG household gas connection.
soared recently due to its huge demand in About 99 per cent of consumers are staying under
developed countries including the US and Europe unmetered connections while about 5.0 percent are
over the ensuing winter. The spot LNG prices single burner connections and 95 per cent are
might come down again as coronavirus cases are double burner connections. Prepaid meters are
on the rise again globally. Bangladesh has more efficient than postpaid meters as it is easy to
already cancelled the tender to import LNG from estimate individual-level use of gas and consumers
the spot market in November as the offers from can purchase as per their needs. Terming
two bidders to supply a 138,000 cubic metres of measuring the quantity of non-metered domestic
cargo were found too 'expensive' by the gas use as a factor of system gain, it said the
evaluators. The country may cancel the early faulty system for measuring the quantity of
December tender for a similar cargo too as the non-metered domestic gas consumers has been the
lone bidder Vitol Asia's offer was also found reason of great concern for many consumers across
'high' on close of the bid submission deadline. the country. Calculative value becomes higher than
that of the real gas usage and this calculation
performs as a factor of system gain.

DAIRY FEED HIKE, FARMERS
DEMAND MEAT-IMPORT BAN An association of farmers on 25 Oct 2020 demanded

introduction of sales of animal feeds at subsidised rates to
help the country’s dairy industry survive the current crisis.
The Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) raised a
set of demands including subsidy to dairy farms for
electricity consumption, introduction of renting farmland
and declaring a 20-year tax holiday for the sector.
Placing the 10-point demand at a press conference at the
National Press Club, the association president, Imran
Hossain, said the increase in price of animal feeds has made
it difficult for the farmers to run their business sustainably.
The price of wheat bran now stands at Tk 31 per kilogram
compared to Tk 24 a kg a year ago. In such a situation, the
association leaders said, the government should utilise the
Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) for selling dairy
feeds at subsidised rates to support the farmers.

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