Titas proposes Tk12,000cr project to make its gas network leakproof

The Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited is working on a project proposal to repair and replace its decades-old leaky gas pipelines across Dhaka and Narayanganj amid the recent gas leakage scare among city residents.

According to the primary development project proposal, the state-run gas distribution company plans to begin implementing the Tk12,416 crore project in July but it has to secure foreign loans for 38% of the total project expenditure first.

Gas leakages from the underground distribution pipeline occur frequently and often cause devastating explosions, killing and injuring many. A gas explosion on 5 March morning at the Priyangan Shopping Centre on Mirpur Road in the capital's Science Lab area killed three and hurt 50 persons. 

When asked, Razib Kumar Saha, general manager of the Planning and Development Division at Titas Gas, told TBS, "The primary proposal has been sent to the Planning Commission and Economic Relations Division to secure the financing from development partners. At the same time, the original proposal is also in the approval process."

According to the project proposal, Tk7,669 crore of the total expenditure will be provided by the government and Tk4,733 crore is estimated to come from development aid agencies as loans. The company itself proposed to spend Tk14 crore from its own funds.

Titas officials said the feasibility study report of this project has been prepared after one and a half years of study. According to the report, around 2,700 kilometres of pipelines will have to be replaced.

The total length of the company's gas pipelines is 13,238 kilometres and the number of total customers is 28,75,813 as of 30 June 2021.

In the proposal, Titas said gas distribution lines were constructed in different parts of the capital city between the 70s and the late 80s.

Later, with the gradual expansion of the city, the network was also expanded.  But over time, the distribution lines got damaged and are still getting damaged during the construction of other utility lines, the company said.

As a result, the cathodic protection system of the pipelines – widely used on metal surfaces to prevent corrosion – was destroyed, causing significant leakage of gas from the pipes. Gas leakage has led to fire accidents and other issues related to ground safety and a serious crisis in receiving gas at customers' end.

According to Titas Gas officials, the distribution lines were designed initially for a 30-year period in view of the future demand. Due to the increasing lateral and upward expansion in Dhaka and Narayanganj cities, the gas flow capacity of the distribution network has gradually become inadequate.

After implementing the project, the low-pressure situation will be improved and gas leakage-related accidents will be reduced greatly. Moreover, this project will reduce methane emissions by stopping gas leakage, officials said.

Seeking foreign funds may cause delays

According to officials concerned, Titas initially proposed to implement the project with government funding but the Energy and Mineral Resources Division decided to borrow from development partners to ease the pressure on government funds.

An official of Titas, on condition of anonymity, told TBS, "Titas recently sent the original Development Project Proposal [DPP] to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division through Petrobangla seeking government funding. But the energy division recommended securing foreign loans."

"That is why, a Primary Development Project Proposal [PDPP] has been sent to the Planning Commission. This is because the PDPP requires in-principle approval from the Commission before seeking loans from development partners," the official added.

But seeking foreign funds might delay the implementation of the project, according to people concerned.

Professor M Shamsul Alam, an energy advisor at the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), said, "This project, which needs urgent implementation, may be delayed for securing foreign loans. Titas can bear the entire cost of implementation from its own funds. If necessary, allocation can be drawn from the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of the government."

"It will be good news if Titas can get funding from development partners, but it will be a time-consuming process. Hence, it is better to implement these types of urgent and important projects with the funding of the organisation and government funds," Shamsul Alam added.

Latest technology to ensure better service

According to the primary proposal, Titas Gas intends to replace and repair an age-old distribution network, enhancing gas supply, improving prevailing low-pressure condition, combating gas leakage and providing safety to the public.

To meet the management challenges and to facilitate better planning, improvement, analysis, maintenance and operation of this vast network, this project also involves the installation of an integrated GIS (Geographic Information System) drawing for Titas Gas's distribution network in Dhaka city and Narayanganj municipality area and installation of SCADA (Supervisory control and data acquisition system) for Titas's entire gas pipeline network.

A SCADA system is a combination of hardware and software that enables the automation of industrial processes by capturing Operational Technology real-time data.

The main objective of this project is to set up modern gas infrastructure in 60 selected areas of two Dhaka city corporations and 27 areas of Narayanganj city corporation.

Major accidents attributed to gas pipeline leakage

In June 2021, a huge explosion ripped through a building in Moghbazar in the capital. Investigations later revealed that the accident resulted from accumulation of gas from a disconnected Titas Gas pipeline.

The police suspect a similar cause behind recent explosions at the Science Laboratory intersection and in a Siddique Bazar building in Gulistan.

The combined death toll from these explosions at Moghbazar, Science Lab, and Siddique Bazar stands at 39.

Approximately a year and a half ago, a mosque in Narayanganj experienced an explosion that claimed 34 lives. This tragic event was also attributed to a gas pipeline leak.

In the fiscal 2021-22, Titas conducted a survey to assess the condition of 1,682km of pipelines. The survey identified the presence of methane at 9,926 locations along the pipeline. It also identified 459 leaks and subsequently repaired them.

However, officials expressed concern that if the survey had encompassed the entire pipeline network, additional leaks would likely have been uncovered. Also, the survey did not extend to household clients.