SINGAPORE, Jan 3 Reuters Bangladesh nearly tripled its coalfired power output in 2023, a Reuters analysis of government data showed, helping it tide over the worst power shortages in over a decade and slash rising generation costs.

Coal rose to prominence in Bangladesh39;s power mix in 2023 at the expense of cleaner fuels, as the government struggled to pay for costly natural gas, furnace oil and diesel imports because of shrinking dollar reserves and a weakening currency.

Power generation from coal surged to a record 21 billion kilowatthours kWh in 2023, up from the 7.9 billion kWh of electricity produced from coal in 2022, an analysis of daily operational reports by the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh PGCB showed.

The share of coal is expected to increase further this year as a new unit is expected to get commissioned. Dependence on gas is expected to remain steady and use of liquid fuels will fall, a senior energy ministry official said.

Coal39;s share of the power generation fuel mix rose to 14.2 in 2023, from 8.9 in 2022, the PGCB data showed, while the share of natural gas rose to 55.2 in 2023, the first increase in four years and up from 51 in 2022.

However, natural gas39;s share last year was much lower than the average of about 66 in the ten years to 2022 as high international prices for the fuel limited its usage. Dwindling local gas reserves and LNG, mainly from Qatar, are the main gas sources for the country.

Coal and natural gas gained mainly at the…