'Bangladesh’s fossil fuel to be used for its own development'

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reiterated her firm stance to use Bangladesh’s fossil fuel for its own economic development and the wellbeing of people, reports UNB.

“Whatever natural gas we’ve we’ll use that for the economic development of the country and wellbeing of people,” she said.

The prime minister was talking to a delegation of Russian Gazprom at her parliament office.

PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed newsmen after the meeting.

He said the prime minister recalled with gratitude the cooperation of the then Soviet union during and after Bangladesh’s liberation war in 1971.

“Russia always supported us, they deployed their navy personnel to remove mines from Chittagong Port after our liberation war to open the channel for vessel deploying. While sweeping the mines some Russian navy personnel also died,” she recalled.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is constructing its first nuclear power plant in Rooppur with the cooperation of Russia.

The prime minister conveyed her regards to Russian president Vladimir Putin through the Gazprom delegation members.

The Gazprom team members told the prime minister that the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Petrobangla on execution of the project involving exploration, development, production, transportation, refining, marketing of gas and byproducts including LNG as well as development of energy and power infrastructure and personnel.

Under the MoU, they said, Gazprom will drill three wells soon in Bhola island to boost gas production in Bangladesh.

Terming the agreement as a "significant" one in the field of cooperation between the two friendly countries, the Gazoprom delegation expressed their confidence that this will work smoothly.

The delegation members said Gazprom is keen to supply LNG in Bangladesh by 2024. "We're ready to extend cooperation through mutual understanding," one of the delegation members said.

PM's energy adviser Towfique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu, PM's principal secretary Ahmad Kaikaus and Russian ambassador in Bangladesh Alexander I Ignatov were present on the occasion.