Bangladesh government has taken the initiative to import natural gas from Myanmar through pipeline to meet the growing energy demand of the country. This proposal has been made to strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries under the 'neighbourhood first' policy. Myanmar has also responded positively in this regard.
On Sunday (August 2), the matter was discussed in the meeting of the Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh U Kyaw Swee Moe with the Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hasan Mahmud.
After the meeting, the energy minister said that the demand for natural gas in the country is increasing day by day. Because of this, Bangladesh is interested in importing gas from Myanmar through the pipeline. He said, "There is a demand for gas in Bangladesh. So we are interested in importing gas through pipeline from Myanmar."
In response, the Myanmar ambassador said that he sees this proposal positively. He also highlighted the possibility of supplying gas to Bangladesh in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as through pipelines.
The old plan to build a gas pipeline from Myanmar to Chittagong also gained new importance in the discussion. The Energy Minister reminded that the proposal made by then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in 2003 to import gas from Myanmar through pipelines can be taken into consideration again.
Iqbal Hasan Mahmud also proposed a meeting at the energy minister level to advance this initiative between the two countries. He invited the Energy Minister of Myanmar to visit Bangladesh and expressed his interest to visit Myanmar himself if necessary.
China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Economic Corridor was also discussed in the meeting. According to the energy minister, the implementation of this corridor will strengthen energy, trade and regional connectivity between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Myanmar Ambassador U Kyaw Soe Moe proposed to resume the Bangladesh-Myanmar Joint Technical Committee meeting. According to him, the possibility and technical aspects of gas import can be reviewed through discussions between the relevant experts of the two countries.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit, Energy Secretary Mohammad Saiful Islam, Power Secretary Mirana Mahrukh and related senior officials were present in the meeting.
In Bangladesh, the demand for gas in industrial, power generation and household sectors is continuously increasing. In this context, this initiative of the government is seen as an important step to strengthen gas import from alternative sources and regional energy cooperation.
