ADB's Fossil Gas Portfolio: Viewpoints from the Grassroots

In 2005, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided USD 230.00 million for Gas Transmission and Development Project to build 165 km Bheramara- Khulna Gas Transmission Pipeline for supplying Domestic Fossil Gas (DFG) to Khulna city (ADB 2017). Before starting the project, ADB conducted a fact- finding Mission and a feasibility study under the 0.48 million Technical Assistance (TA) Project (ADB 2006). Total 946.31 acres of land was taken for the project for which 317 families and shops were displaced (ADB 2005). Expecting adequate gas supply, ADB provided another commercial loan of USD 84.12 million for constructing a 225 MW Dual Fuel Combined Cycle Power Plant in Khulna city (ADB 2019). In 2015, the technical committee formed by the Government of Bangladesh found there is no sufficient gas at source. So, the Government had to scrap the project in 2016 and formed a probing committee to identify responsible persons/agencies for the damage of resources (Arifuzzaman 2019).