Coal mining in Bangladesh started with the discovery of the first coal mine in Jamalganj in 1962. [1] Mining in Bangladesh consists mainly of coal, granite, natural gas, and petroleum mining. [2]
Coal mining in Bangladesh started with the discovery of the first coal mine in Jamalganj in 1962. [1] Mining in Bangladesh consists mainly of coal, granite, natural gas, and petroleum mining. [2]
In Pre-partition era of British India, coal from Garo hills of Meghalaya was transported and traded through East Bengal. Mining offices opened in Dhaka and trade was aided by British Rail network in India. [3] In 1961 UN-Pak Mineral Survey Project started surveys in then East Pakistan (today Bangladesh) by Geological Survey of Pakistan. In 1962 the survey found 1.05 million tons of coal in Jamalganj, Sunamganj District. The next big discovery came in 1985 when Geological Survey of Bangladesh discovered coal in Dinajpur. In 1989 a coalfield was discovered in khalashpir, Rangpur District and another in 1995 in Dighipara by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh. Multinational BHP discovered Phulbari coalfield in 1997. [1] Global Coal Management is waiting approval for the Phulbari coalfield. [4] Bangladesh has an estimated 2 billion tonnes of coal in underground reserves in the Northwest region of the country. [5] Bangladeshi coal reserves are underexplored because of concerns related to method, technology, and social consequences. [6] Coal and limestone mined in Meghalaya was transported to Bangladesh, and helped the establishment of cement factories there. [3] Coal accounts for two percent of the energy generation in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh has not established a unified coal policy. [7] The Government of Bangladesh plans to increase power generation from coal to 50 percent from the present 2 percent by 2021. [8] [9]
Barapukuria coal mine is run by the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited. [10] Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited is a subsidiary of the state owned Petrobangla. [2] The mine is located in Dinajpur, this is the only active mine in Bangladesh. [11] The locals near the mine have reported damages to their houses. The water bodies near the mine have dried up. In response the government has acquired lands near the mine. [12]
In July 2018, it was revealed that the around 142 hundred thousand tons of coal, worth over BDT 227 billion, has been misappropriated by the officials of the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited. The incident became popularly known as the Barapukuria coal scam. [13]
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United Kingdom and South Africa, a coal mine and its structures are a colliery, a coal mine is called a "pit", and above-ground mining structures are referred to as a "pit head". In Australia, "colliery" generally refers to an underground coal mine.
Dinajpur district is a district in the Rangpur Division of northern Bangladesh. Dinajpur is the largest district among all sixteen northern districts of Bangladesh.
GCM Resources plc, formerly Asia Energy and Global Coal Management, is a mining company quoted in the London Alternative Investment Market. Its major asset and goal is to exploit open cast coal mining opportunities in the Phulbari region of Dinajpur District, Bangladesh.
Fulbari is an upazila of Dinajpur District in the Division of Rangpur Division, Bangladesh.
Nawabganj is an upazila of Dinajpur District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh.
Parbatipur is an upazila (sub-district) of the Dinajpur District in northern Bangladesh, part of the Rangpur Division. It is home to the only mine in Bangladesh, the Barapukuria Coal Mine.
The mining industry of Botswana has dominated the national economy of Botswana since the 1970s, being a primary sector industry. Diamond has been the leading component of the mineral sector ever since production of gems started being extracted by the mining company Debswana. Most of Botswana's diamond production is of gem quality, resulting in the country's position as the world's leading producer of diamond by value. Copper, gold, nickel, coal and soda ash production also has held significant, though smaller, roles in the economy.
The utility electricity sector in Bangladesh has one national grid operated by Power Grid Company of Bangladesh with an installed capacity of 25,700 MW as of June 2022. Bangladesh's energy sector is not up to the mark. However, per capita energy consumption in Bangladesh is considered higher than the production. Electricity was introduced to the country on 7 December 1901.
Renewable energy in Bangladesh refers to the use of renewable energy to generate electricity in Bangladesh. The current renewable energy comes from biogas that is originated from biomass, hydro power, solar and wind.
Bangladesh suffers with heavy energy crisis with the gradual expansion of economic activities of the country. The estimations and reserves of energy resources show future potentials but a small fraction of them are being utilized which proved to be insufficient. Moreover, the impact of climate change and environment pollution has also been significantly felt. As a result, the successive governments have aimed at formulating an effective energy policy which would address these concerns. The energy policies have also received extensive criticisms especially on the questions of energy export and methods of extraction.
Barapukuria Power Station is located near Durgapur, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. It consists of two 125-megawatt units and one 275-MW unit. This coal-fired power station was commissioned in 2006, and is operated by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
Chamalang Coal Mines are extended over in the districts of Kohlu, Barkhan, and mostly concentrated in Loralai and expands over an area of 500 square miles. The high-quality Chamalang coal mines were first discovered in 1885 when the region was under British control. The mines are the second largest in Asia.
The indigenous people of Phulbari, Bangladesh, fought against the use of open-pit mining from August 26, 2006, to February 6, 2014. Open pit mining would displace thousands of people, as well as destroy farmland, and divert water sources for use in the mining process.
The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources or Ministry of Energy is a ministry of the Government of Bangladesh. It is mainly responsible for all policies and matters relating to electricity generation, transmission, and distribution from conventional and non-conventional energy sources including hydro electricity. It also deals with the Import, Distribution, Exploration, Extraction, Pricing, and other policy related details of the primary fuels.
Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) is an national organization working in Geological activities in Bangladesh and is located in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The incumbent Director General of Geological Survey of Bangladesh is Moinuddin Ahmed.
Delta Research Centre is an autonomous government research institute under the University of Dhaka system that researches the Bengal delta in Bangladesh and is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh is made of the largest delta in the world.
Barapukuria coal scam is a sensational corruption scandal of Bangladesh concerning the misappropriation of around 142 hundred thousand tons of coal, worth over BDT 227 billion by officials of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL) from the coal mine of Barapukuria, Dinajpur District, in northern Bangladesh.
Barapukuria Coal Mine is run by the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited. Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited is a subsidiary of the state owned Petrobangla. The mine is located at Parbatipur upazila in Dinajpur. This is the lone active coal mine in Bangladesh.
Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited is a Bangladesh government owned coal mining company. Engineer Md. Kamruzzaman Khan is the managing director of the company. Nazmul Ahsan is the chairman of the board of directors of the company.
Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited is a Bangladesh government owned granite mining company owned by Petrobangla.
