World Bank has approved US$ 300 million to help Bangladesh improve the efficiency of gas distribution and usage through pre-paid metering systems for residential and industrial consumers. The initiative will also help reduce methane emissions along the natural gas value chain.
The Gas Sector Efficiency Improvement and Carbon Abatement Project will address natural gas leakage and losses along the gas transmission and distribution network, reduce wastage from residential and industrial users, and strengthen network monitoring capabilities according to the global lender’s press release issued on Thursday.
For all latest news, follow The My News’s Google News channel. The initiative will install over 1.2 million prepaid gas meters — 1.1 million will be deployed in Dhaka, covering 54 percent of residential customers of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, and 128,000 in Rajshahi division covering the entire residential customer base of Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited (PGCL), the release added.
A pilot project, involving 50 smart meters for larger industrial users, will also be rolled out to demonstrate the viability of smart meters to better monitor and manage gas use in the industrial sector.
The project will also install a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and Geographic Information System on PGCL’s network to improve gas flow monitoring and help reduce methane leaks. Overall, it will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emission and better monitor gas networks to help identify and repair methane leaks.
“Improving energy efficiency will be crucial for Bangladesh to achieve its 2021 Nationally Determined Contributions commitment of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030,” said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Sameh I Mobarek, World Bank senior energy specialist and team leader for project, noted that Bangladesh’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emission comes from the oil and gas sector.
