Letters to the editor

Meeting energy challenge

Sir,
For facing the energy challenge, naturally large scale investment is needed. We should go about it soonest, as any delay will be tragic. Old inefficient, outdated power plants, that should be oil fired and not coal which will be expensive to import and handle,as well as extra costs to dispose off the ash,compared to heavy oil. This logical and economically justified step,has to start now, without any more delay, in overall national interest.
Regarding alternative energy options,we should speed up the setting up of as solar power plant,at the suitable location, for which studies have been done.
This brooks no further delay. Alongside this, we should go for city refuse based power plant at least one each at Dhaka and Chittagong.
Not only we will not need usual oil fuel beyond maximum say ten percent of any conventional oil fired power plant of identical capacity. It will also create regular employment for unskilled persons in the sorting of refuse.
In the long run, this may possibly be the best option for power generation in Bangladesh, given our large and growing number of unemployed unskilled hands. Another unexplored area, that has been successfully done in Thailand, more than a decade back is the generation of methane gas from solid human refuse that is a freely available raw material for producing methane gas.
Last, but not the least,we must abandon the fatally dangerous radiation based U236 fueled nuclear power plant, and go for the absolutely radiation safe U238 fueled nuclear power plant,that can be set up to a maximum capacity of around 250 MW each.
We can safely set up say (4X250=1000MW) such plants around Dhaka and Chittagong to begin with. Government should adopt such a pragmatic plan, without any further delay. Also lest we forget having a U236 fueled nuclear power plant is like having a potential live nuclear bomb (radiation wise) in your neighborhood, with a radius of possibly 100 miles for fatal radiation leakage hazards.

Engr.S.A.Mansoor
Dhaka

 

Letters to the editor

Meeting energy challenge

Sir, For facing the energy challenge, naturally large scale investment is needed. We should go about it soonest, as any delay will be tragic. Old inefficient, outdated power plants, that should be oil fired and not coal which will be expensive to import and handle,as well as extra costs to dispose off the ash,compared to heavy oil. This logical and economically justified step,has to start now, without any more delay, in overall national interest. Regarding alternative energy options,we should speed up the setting up of as solar power plant,at the suitable location, for which studies have been done. This brooks no further delay. Alongside this, we should go for city refuse based power plant at least one each at Dhaka and Chittagong. Not only we will not need usual oil fuel beyond maximum say ten percent of any conventional oil fired power plant of identical capacity. It will also create regular employment for unskilled persons in the sorting of refuse. In the long run, this may possibly be the best option for power generation in Bangladesh, given our large and growing number of unemployed unskilled hands. Another unexplored area, that has been successfully done in Thailand, more than a decade back is the generation of methane gas from solid human refuse that is a freely available raw material for producing methane gas. Last, but not the least,we must abandon the fatally dangerous radiation based U236 fueled nuclear power plant, and go for the absolutely radiation safe U238 fueled nuclear power plant,that can be set up to a maximum capacity of around 250 MW each. We can safely set up say (4X250=1000MW) such plants around Dhaka and Chittagong to begin with. Government should adopt such a pragmatic plan, without any further delay. Also lest we forget having a U236 fueled nuclear power plant is like having a potential live nuclear bomb (radiation wise) in your neighborhood, with a radius of possibly 100 miles for fatal radiation leakage hazards. Engr.S.A.Mansoor Dhaka