Rampal worries German envoy

The German ambassador in Dhaka has expressed ‘concern’ over the coal-based Rampal power plant to be built near the Sundarbans – the world’s largest mangrove forest - saying “it is not too late to look for other sites”.

Albrecht Conze on Sunday said he was “not convinced” that the positive effects of getting electricity from the plant would “outweigh the environmental risks of the project”.

A German development arm GIZ media release said he was referring “explicitly to the incalculable risks” the Rampal power plant could pose to the adjacent Sundarbans sanctuary.

The ambassador said this while launching the Goalpara Power Sub Station, in Khulna, which, GIZ says, has recently been upgraded with energy efficient technology installed with the support of German Development Cooperation (GDC).

Bangladesh and India had inked three agreements in March last year for the joint coal-based power project – 1320MW Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BIFPCL) – at Rampal.

The power plant is proposed to be set up over 1,834 acres near the Mongla seaport.

The then Opposition BNP Chief Khalea Zia demanded that the government shelved the project and called upon environmentalists to launch a movement against it.

A section of environmentalists also protested and warned the government that the plant would have a disastrous impact on the nearby Sundarbans.

The German ambassador is the first diplomat to speak against the project site.

He praised the natural beauty of this UNESCO heritage site and reminded that the UN-body reviewed this status regularly.

“I know from the experience my own country that UNESCO regularly reviews and, occasionally, revokes this prestigious status in cases of serious man-made alterations to the environment of such sites.

“Bangladesh’s greatest natural treasure ought to be protected at all cost, and should remain the pride of this country. It is not too late to look for other sites,” he was quoted as saying in the media release.

He, however, said it was possible to make coal-based energy generation less harmful for the environment "by using the latest technology and high quality filtering system”.

“As market leaders in environment friendly technologies, German companies are always ready to propose to Bangladesh the latest technology of coal-based power generation,” he said.

He also expressed skepticism over the proposed Rooppur nuclear power plant project in Pabna, in reply to a journalist's question after the sub-station opening ceremony.

But he appreciated Bangladesh’s reported move to work with Nepal and Bhutan to harness water energy potentials.

“Although Germany has opted out of nuclear power generation after the Fukushima accident, we respect that other countries may make different choices”, he said.

He pointed to two serious risks. “First, you will see water temperature rise around the power plant, due to the need for constantly cooling the reactor. That will change the ecosystem.

“And second, you can never rule out earthquakes in Bangladesh. In general, nuclear power plants always pose risks which are hard to calculate when they are being built in seismically unsafe areas”.

“With hydropower from the Himalayas and offshore natural gas from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh should, in a not so distant future, be able to generate most of the power it will need, while minimizing the negative impact of energy generation on the country’s environment”, he said.

The envoy said “energy generation needs to take into account environmental risks”.

“…it is of great importance that the right choices are being made,” he said as he acknowledged that Bangladesh’s rapid growth had led to a sharp rise in the demand and supply of electricity.

He said the German Development Cooperation, GDC, would continue to play “an important role in helping to improve and modernise Bangladesh’s energy supply”.

In recent years GDC in Bangladesh has focused more on energy efficiency and renewable energies.

Since independence, Germany has provided around 177.5 million Euro or around Tk 1.77 billion for implementing renewable energy and energy efficiency programs in Bangladesh.