Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The government has decided not to provide fresh piped gas connections to households to make room for increased supply to industries and power plants in future, a top official said on Tuesday.
"We’ve decided in principle not to give piped gas connections to households. The use of LPG will be encouraged for households," Energy Secretary Mohammad Mesbah Uddin told reporters while replying to a query.
Piped gas connections to households remained stalled across the country since July 2010 and to industries since July 2009, to cope with the short supply of natural gas.
“We mainly want to reduce gas supply through pipeline. People will use LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] for cooking,” Mr. Mesbah added.
The Government will reduce the price of LPG and increase the piped gas price to create a balance in costs for household gas uses, Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said.
Currently, Petrobangla supplies 12 percent gas of its total daily production of around 2,000 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), while commercial power plants consume 39 per cent, industry, 17 per cent, captive power plants, 16 per cent, fertilizer, 10 per cent, CNG (compressed natural gas), five per cent and commercial consumers and tea-estates, one per cent.
State Minister for Power and Energy Muhammad Enamul Huq said the government is diversifying its fuel sources, in line with its last election manifesto.
BBN/SSR/AD-06Apr11-2:30 am (BST)