President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday urged everyone to be more responsible and careful in ensuring safe, affordable and optimal use of all energy, including natural gas, to prevent wastage of energy.  

The head of the state came up with the call by issuing a message on the eve of the National Energy Security Day to be observed Wednesday.  

"The role of the energy sector in the country's socio-economic development, industrialisation and poverty alleviation is immense," he said.

"I welcome the initiative of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division to celebrate the 'National Energy Security Day-2023' like every year to ensure energy security and to make the people economical and aware of the best use of energy."

He believed that this year's theme of the day – “Conviction of Smart Bangladesh, Energy Savings” – is time-befitting.

With the aim of accelerating the socio-economic development of the country after independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took into consideration the issue of energy security by taking a groundbreaking step in the storage, supply and distribution of fuel by officially accepting five gas fields from the then British Oil company 'Shell Oil' on August 9 in 1975.

Through the wisdom and visionary decisions of the Father of the Nation, energy security was established in the country, he said, adding that an uninterrupted energy supply is one of the prerequisites for ensuring the country's economic growth.

In view of this, the government is taking and implementing appropriate plans to increase the production of domestic natural gas and coal.

He said various steps, including imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), have been taken to meet the growing energy demand.

"Optimum and equitable utilisation of limited resources, as well as prevention of wastage, is essential to ensure energy security," he said.

For this reason, people should be encouraged to use energy-mixed and alternative renewable energy by reducing sole dependency on natural gas.

In order to increase the reserves of natural energy in the country, exploration activities should be strengthened and production, transmission and distribution activities should be accelerated, he mentioned.

President Shahabuddin wished all the programmes taken marking the day a success.

‘Rational gas use key to Smart Bangladesh’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said that rational use of gas resources, discovery of new gas fields and construction of gas and coal-based infrastructures will act as the main driving force for establishing a smart, prosperous and developed Bangladesh.

Besides, the use of environment-friendly and alternative energy, the efficient use of energy and the prevention of energy wastage will speed up the achievement of sustainable development of the nation, she said in a message issued on the eve of the National Energy Security Day.

"With the aim of increasing the production in the country's gas fields, we have done various activities in the field of exploration of new gas fields and development of existing gas fields," she said.

As part of these activities, a total of six new gas fields – Sundalpur, Srikail, Rupganj, Bhola North, Zakiganj and Ilisha – have been discovered, she said.

Moreover, the process of formulating “Model PSC 2023” for oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal is in its final stage, she said, adding that construction work of the Bogura-Rangpur-Syedpur gas transmission pipeline and the Rangpur-Nilphamari-Peerganj distribution pipeline is underway for the expansion of gas network.

About four lakh prepaid gas meters have been installed in Dhaka and Chattogram, Sheikh Hasina said. "Plans have been taken to bring all residential gas customers under the purview of prepaid gas meters."  

She said, "We have increased the storage capacity of fuel oil by about 52 per cent."  

Implementation of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with Double Pipeline project is in the final stage for safe and cost-effective unloading and transportation of imported crude oil and refined diesel in a short time, she added.

The project has been taken for setting up ERL (Eastern Refinery Limited) Unit-II to increase the country's fuel refining capacity, the prime minister continued.

In order for fast, easy, safe and cost-effective transportation of fuel oil through pipelines, she said work on the establishment of 624km pipeline, including the completion of the 131.5km India-Bangladesh friendship pipeline, is already in progress.

The prime minister wished all the programmes undertaken on the occasion of National Energy Security Day a success.