Petrobangla that earns more than Tk 2,000 crore a year but submits its earning to the national exchequer was urging the government to allow it to invest in its own projects.

The original organisational structure of the state-owned corporation allows it to retain 20 per cent of its earning for its own development.

In practice, Petrobangla projects are funded as part of the Annual Development Programme of the government, but they do not get priority among hundred other plans processed by the Planning Commission.

Dozens of Petrobangla projects have been pending with the Planning Commission for years because of bureaucratic tangles and the lack of implementation of projects has been leading the energy sector to a crisis.

A few months ago, Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman gave a directive that Petrobangla could finance its own projects. Following the directive, Petrobangla began work on designing projects to be pursued on bank loans, aimed at increasing gas supply by more than 100 million cubic feet a day (mmcfd) in two years and helping meet the ever-growing gas demand.

In the first instalment, Petrobangla will spend Tk 77 crore on drilling two wells in Titas gas fields and finance three more projects.

"The proposal for drilling Titas wells -- 15 and 16 -- is awaiting clearance of the finance ministry and an inter-ministerial meeting," said a top Petrobangla official, adding, "We hope it will be cleared soon."

The gas wells to be drilled in the untapped southern part of the country's biggest gas field Titas are expected to add around 50mmcfd gas. Titas now has 14 wells that produce about 400mmcfd. As the gas field is located at the heart of gas pipeline network, the new wells will be convenient for the authorities to connect.

The other self-financed projects in the wings are the Kailashtila Gas Process Plant Extension project and drilling of two wells in Kailashtila gas field.

The gas processing plant extension will help Bangladesh extract more condensate -- liquid petroleum, a by-product of natural gas.

"We believe if the Planning Commission does not interfere with the plans, we will be able to implement all of them in time," said the Petrobangla official.

Another official said the Planning Commission officials, disappointed with reduction of their power in project implementation, are trying to complicate the ventures.

The Planning Commission is trying to issue orders that would once again place all projects to be pursued on bank loans under it for approval. "That will certainly shelve all Petrobangla projects as before," a source feared.

Currently, Bangladesh is facing gas crisis because of excessive demand. Against a maximum demand for 1295mmcfd, Petrobangla can supply around 1265mmcfd.

Experts forecast that the demand will continue to grow at 10 per cent a year and see no quick solution to the crisis in the years to come.