Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said the country’s energy crisis and growing dependence on imports are the result of successive governments’ failure to adequately develop state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX).

The government is now implementing a multidimensional and coordinated master plan to overcome the crisis and move the country towards an energy-secure, self-reliant and sustainable energy system, he said.

The prime minister made the remarks while answering questions from MPs during the question-and-answer session in Parliament on Wednesday.

He outlined a roadmap to strengthen the country’s energy security, expand renewable energy and transform Bangladesh into a trillion-dollar economy by 2034.

He said a number of major initiatives were being implemented to address the energy crisis permanently after years of inadequate exploration and excessive dependence on imports.

Responding to a question from BNP woman MP Selina Sultana, the prime minister said increasing domestic gas production had been given the highest priority to meet the country’s energy demand.

Under a programme to drill and carry out workovers on 150 wells, work on 30 wells has already been completed, adding 140 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of new gas to the national grid, he said.

Drilling of seven more wells is currently underway, the prime minister added.