Coal mining in Bangladesh started with the discovery of the first coal mine in Jamalganj in 1962.
Mining in Bangladesh consists mainly of coal, granite, natural gas, and petroleum mining.
History
In Pre-partition era of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, coal from
Garo hills
The Garo Hills (Pron: ˈgɑ:rəʊ) are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India. They are inhabited by the Garo people. It is one of the wettest places in the world. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion.
De ...
of
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
was transported and traded through East Bengal. Mining offices opened in Dhaka and trade was aided by British Rail network in India.
In 1961 UN-Pak Mineral Survey Project started surveys in then East Pakistan (today Bangladesh) by
Geological Survey of Pakistan
Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) is an independent executive scientific agency to explore the natural resources of Pakistan. Main tasks GSP perform are Geological, Geophysical and Geo-chemical Mapping of Pakistan. Target of these mapping are res ...
. In 1962 the survey found 1.05 million tons of coal in
Jamalganj,
Sunamganj District
Sunamganj ( bn, সুনামগঞ্জ) is a district located in north-eastern Bangladesh within the Sylhet Division.
History
In the ancient period, Sunamganj was part of the Laur Kingdom. After the conquest of Sylhet (Kingdom of Gauiurh) ...
. The next big discovery came in 1985 when
Geological Survey of Bangladesh
Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) is an national organization working in Geological activities in Bangladesh and is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The incumbent Director General of Geological Survey of Bangladesh is Moinuddin Ahmed.
History ...
discovered coal in Dinajpur. In 1989 a coalfield was discovered in
khalashpir
Khalashpir is a populated area in Pirganj Upazila, Rangpur District
Rangpur ( bn, রংপুর) is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division.
Geography
Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) compo ...
,
Rangpur District
Rangpur ( bn, রংপুর) is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division.
Geography
Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) composed of eight districts of northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur ...
and another in 1995 in Dighipara by the Geological Survey of Bangladesh. Multinational
BHP
BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
discovered
Phulbari coalfield in 1997.
is waiting approval for the Phulbari coalfield. Bangladesh has an estimated 2 billion tonnes of coal in underground reserves in the Northwest region of the country. Bangladeshi coal reserves are underexplored because of concerns related to method, technology, and social consequences. Coal and limestone mined in Meghalaya was transported to Bangladesh, and helped the establishment of cement factories there.
Coal accounts for two percent of the energy generation in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh has not established a unified coal policy. The Government of Bangladesh plans to increase power generation from coal to 50 percent from the present 2 percent by 2021.
Barapukuria coal mine
Barapukuria coal mine
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 coa ...
is run by the
Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited
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.
Histo ...
. Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited is a subsidiary of the state owned
Petrobangla
PetroBangla (Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation; bn, পেট্রোবাংলা) is a government-owned national oil company of Bangladesh. It explores, produces, transports, manages and sells oil, natural gas and other mineral reso ...
.
The mine is located in
Dinajpur
Dinajpur ( bn, দিনাজপুর ) is a city and the District headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka in Bangladesh. It is bounde ...
, this is the only active mine in Bangladesh. 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.
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
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 t ...
.
See also
*
Climate change in Bangladesh
Climate change in Bangladesh is a critical issue as the country is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In the 2020 edition of Germanwatch's ''Climate Risk Index'', it ranked seventh in the list of countries most affecte ...
*
References
{{Asia topic, Coal mining in
Energy in Bangladesh
Fossil fuels in Bangladesh