150 gas wells to be drilled, three LNG terminals to be built: Mahdi Amin

Mahdi Amin, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office and adviser to the prime minister, has said that 150 more gas wells will be drilled and three LNG terminals will be built in Bangladesh.

Speaking about the government’s initiatives in the energy sector, Mahdi Amin said a programme to drill 150 new wells across the country has begun as a medium-term solution to the gas crisis. Another 150 wells will be drilled in the next phase. To increase LNG capacity, the government plans to add three more terminals to the two existing ones. If possible, efforts are being made to bring the third terminal into operation before 2028.

In the long term, the Eastern Refinery in Chattogram is being expanded to enhance energy security and capacity. International financing of USD 1 billion has been secured for the project, and work has begun, he said.

Mahdi Amin made the remarks at a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday afternoon. The prime minister’s press wing organised the briefing to highlight various government activities.

Referring to the prime minister’s recent meeting with leaders of major business and industrial organisations, Mahdi Amin said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had pledged to make maximum efforts to restore the situation to normal as quickly as possible by addressing the gas supply crisis based on the realities on the ground.

“Gas flow has increased considerably since then. Visible improvement in gas supply can be seen. This positive trend will continue in the coming days,” he said.

Mahdi Amin said diesel prices in Bangladesh are relatively low compared with those in other countries, particularly neighbouring countries. He said the government is providing the highest level of subsidy in this sector to prevent additional pressure on the people.

International credit rating agency Moody’s Ratings has revised Bangladesh’s sovereign outlook from “negative” to “stable.”

Calling the development “good news,” Mahdi Amin said Bangladesh had returned to a stable outlook after remaining negative for a long time.
“This means Bangladesh is now a stable country for investment globally. As a result, not only will foreign investment in Bangladesh increase, but its international standing will also improve,” he said.

He added that trade, investment and employment would also move in a positive direction, creating the employment opportunities needed to empower women and young people.

Citing data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Mahdi Amin said inflation was moving in a positive direction compared with the same period last year and the previous month.

“Inflation has come down comparatively. The rate at which food and commodity prices are rising has also declined,” he said.

Mahdi Amin said the government has taken measures for public welfare and state reform in seven broad areas.

These are youth empowerment; education and information technology innovation; overall public welfare and improvement of living standards; women’s advancement; universal welfare and social protection; environmentally friendly energy and climate-resilient industrialisation; modern healthcare infrastructure and public health; transport infrastructure and traffic management; and institutional good governance, public diplomacy and foreign relations.

Claiming that the government wants to break away from conventional methods of governance and take services to the doorsteps of ordinary people, Mahdi Amin said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s commitment and plans to establish the rule of law and ensure transparency and accountability at every level of the state were being praised internationally as well as nationally.

“From empowering young people to ensuring an effective education system, modern healthcare, a timely transport system, technological advancement and institutional reform, the government is leaving its mark of success in every field. This represents a strong and effective journey towards building the Bangladesh of the future,” he said.

The spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said remittances to Bangladesh had increased by 13.10 per cent in six months despite the global economic crisis and intense pressure in international markets, attributing the rise to the government’s successful monetary policy.

He said there were prospects for 10,000 Bangladeshi workers a year to migrate legally to Italy after completing language and technical training.
New opportunities have also emerged for Bangladeshi workers in Oman’s labour market in agriculture and modern fisheries after restrictions on Bangladeshi workers were lifted, he said.

Mahdi Amin said the government was taking steps to ensure a sufficient supply of fertiliser and establish a central control room, with a surplus of 1.568 million metric tonnes against demand through February to ensure uninterrupted agricultural production.

At the press conference, Mahdi Amin further said the various initiatives implemented and undertaken over the past month under the “capable and strong leadership” of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman demonstrated that the government was committed to ensuring the genuine welfare of the people through specific action plans and accountability.

He said the government had successfully addressed the pressure of foreign loans, undertaken various essential administrative reforms, ensured corruption-free services, brought about “revolutionary” improvements in education and healthcare, and strengthened Bangladesh’s position in the diplomatic arena.

He also said every step reflected the government’s patriotism and commitment to public welfare.

“These achievements will further advance Bangladesh on its firm journey towards becoming a dignified, self-reliant and merit-based democratic state,” he said.

Commenting that the government was rebuilding Bangladesh from the “rubble left by 16 years of fascism”, Mahdi Amin said it was difficult to resolve all problems completely in just seven months.

“However, the government’s utmost sincerity and goodwill are visible. Rising above differences of party, opinion and political path, we want everyone to work shoulder to shoulder to build a prosperous, self-reliant, humane, safe and welfare-oriented Bangladesh, where the government’s foremost priority is Bangladesh,” he said.

At the press conference, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli said the government had been in office for 212 days.

“The people have already benefited from the positive results of many of the government’s initiatives. Some measures will take time to produce results. If the people remain patient, they will see good results,” he said.

He added that the gas and electricity situation was now under control.

“The government is working sincerely to ensure comfort, peace and security in people’s lives. People are beginning to feel that they are the owners of the state,” he said.

Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Atikur Rahman Rumon said, “The prime minister believes in freedom of the press. But just because he believes in press freedom does not mean we will take advantage of it. We will cooperate with him.”