Eminent geologist and former chief of Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) Khurshid Alam said the GSB identified 13 coal basins in the northern region of the country.

Of these, only five have been explored and these alone have high quality proven coal reserve of 2,357 million tonnes (mt). Probable coal reserve in the five locations stands at 3,258 mt.

If all this coal is converted into power, it could generate 5,000 megawatt of electricity for 66 to 90 years. Khurshid pointed out that 16 mt of coal can generate 5,000 MW power for one year.

In a presentation to the government on mining prospects recently, British-Bangladeshi venture Delta Pacific Mining PLC said the latest technology used in USA, Europe and Japan and South Africa allows conversion of coal into clean synthetic liquid petroleum, synthetic gas, fertiliser and other chemical products. One tonne of coal can be converted into four barrels of petroleum, the price of which would be within $30.

In other words, Bangladesh can meet its own power and petroleum demand, save energy import costs and trigger massive economic activities.

"Yet, the rest of the coal basins have not been explored," said Khurshid, who has played a pioneering role in mapping the country's coal and mineral zones as well as contributed to discovery of various types of geological treasures in the country since the seventies.

He believes that the country is also rich in limestone and mineral deposits.

Much of these geological treasures are however difficult to be extracted because of the nature of the country's geological structure.

To tap these resources, the country needs billions of dollars of investment, high- end technology that is least invasive for the population and a proper policy vision, a number of geologists and investors told The Daily Star.

"To begin with, the government must take the GSB more seriously," said a senior geologist of Petrobangla.

The government-run GSB has made many discoveries since from the sixties but much of these drew little attention of the governments either because tapping these discoveries demands huge funds or simply because the policymakers lacked visions, he added.

Despite severe limitations of funds, research and laboratory facilities, geologists of the GSB have so far drilled 193 holes in the country for mineral exploration, stratigraphic studies, testing and for gathering other subsurface information. The GSB has also geologically mapped about 59,000 square kilometre areas of the country.

Other than coal, the GSB has discovered 150 million tonnes of peat in Bagiachanda of Gopalganj, undetermined quantity of peat in Khulna, Moulvibazar and Charkai and Paglal of Sunamganj district.

It discovered 100 mt of limestone in Joypurhat, 12.9 mt in Takerghat Lalghat, and 1.7 mt in Bagalibazar of Sunamganj.

The GSB discovered over 40 mt white clay reserve in Barapukuria, Maddhyapara and Netrokona, glass sand in Sherpur, Bahubal, Shahjibazar, Chouddagram, Moulavibazar, Barapukuria, Maddhyapara and Dighipara, mineral sand in Cox's Bazar, Moheshkhali, Kutibdia, Kuakata and Chilmari, hard rock in Madhyapara, gravel in Sunamganj, Lalmonirhat, Tetulia and Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Besides, GSB geologists also traced gold, thermal water and various types of resources during drillings. Khurshid however says the percentage of gold found in some mineral deposits is not good enough for economic viability.

"The main issue concerning coal and other mineral deposits in Bangladesh is that they all are deposited much underneath the soil. Secondly, coal seams are unusually thick. This makes it very difficult for a poor country like Bangladesh to extract coal for our use," Khurshid pointed out.

For instance, the biggest proven coal deposit lies in Jamalganj at a depth of 600 to 1,000 meters. The deposit has 1,053 mt of coal. "Such a depth means you cannot mine this coal conventionally -- open pit or underground mining. We have to use other technologies … and there are technologies for this kind of mine,"he added.

The country's only operational mine-- Barapukuria mine-- has 389 mt of coal at a depth of 120 metres to 450 meters but the mine design had been faulty right from the beginning because of corruption. Its Chinese miners initially aimed for extracting only 60 mt of coal over a period of 30 years.

Then flawed mining design further dragged the mining target down to only 30 mt. Presently, the Barapukuria mining authorities are hoping for extracting only 21 mt in 30 years, which is about six percent of the total proven reserve, mining company sources said.

Phulbari coal mine, being pursued by British company Asia Energy, has a proven reserve of 572 mt at a depth ranging from 150 metres to 500 metres. Asia Energy strongly advocates in favour of open-pit mining to ensure up to 90 percent extraction of coal.

Khalashpir zone has a proven deposit of 143 mt high grade and costly cooking coal, with a probable reserve of 687 mt. The BNP-led alliance government had secretly awarded the zone's exploration licence to Hosaf Group, which had been involved in Barapukuria coal mine scam.

Dighipara coal zone has a proven reserve of 100 mt with 600 mt of probable reserve. Petrobangla has sought mining licence for this zone.

Khurshid Alam notes that the limestone deposits in Jaipurhat is 30 metres in thickness, spreading across 100 square kilometre area at a variable depth ranging between 1,140 feet and 1,700 feet.

"This can be mined. But it has another kind of problem-- internal heat. About three decades back, the Russians wanted to develop this mine. But when they started primary work, they found that internal heat of the deposit was 47 degree Celsius -- two degrees higher than initially estimated. For this, the mine ventilation cost would simply become double. At this point, the mining plan was abandoned," Khurshid added.