With hardly 8 TCF gas in reserve, industries now fight for survival

In 2017, Bangladesh had no gas crisis to speak of. The mismatch between demand and supply was so slight it barely registered on policymakers' radar. The following year, the shortfall crept up to just under 100 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). Manageable. Largely ignorable.

Renewable energy, also called green energy, is made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. Some also consider nuclear power a renewable power source, although this is controversial, as nuclear energy requires mining uranium, a nonrenewable resource. Renewable energy installations can be large or small and are suited for both urban and rural areas.

The power tariff of the coal-fired 1,200-megawatt Matarbari power plant is going to be as high as its peers, observed energy experts, saying that the government-approved power tariff made it appear as if the tariff was lower than that of the electricity purchased from similar power plants.

On April 29, the advisory committee on government purchase approved the public power plant’s power tariff at Tk 8.44 a kilowatt-hour or 7.6621 US cents a kWh, with Tk 5.84 a kWh spent as fuel cost and Tk 2.60 a kWh given as capacity charge.

$32m paid to QatarEnergy yesterday, Petrobangla says $10m owed to OQT will be paid today

Within eight months of the interim government in power, Bangladesh has made significant progress in clearing the import bills of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). Current outstanding bills have fallen to mere $10 million which was a staggering $665.76 million in 5 August last year.

Some power plants consume more fuel than others for generating the same amount of electricity, indicating an overall power management failure in stopping leakage of Bangladesh’s scanty supplies of imported fuels.

Inefficient imported fuel use also indicates waste of dollars, a portion of which is taken as loan as excessive spending surpassed its income through the back-breaking labour of millions of Bangladeshi migrants and readymade garment workers.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has put forward a set of recommendations targeting the national budget for FY2025-26, especially with regard to the power and energy sector. There are grave concerns about the sector since it has confronted a vicious cycle of financial crunch over the last several years, which is likely to continue in the next fiscal year unless necessary measures are taken by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MoPEMR) and Ministry of Finance (MoF).

Bangladesh's regulatory environment for supporting a clean energy transition ranks as the third weakest in South Asia, ahead of only Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to a new report released yesterday by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF).

BANGLADESH’S energy sector stands at a critical inflection point, caught between the urgent need to meet growing demand and the imperative to transition towards sustainable solutions. The country has made impressive strides in electricity coverage, expanding access to over 96 per cent today. Yet this remarkable achievement rests on increasingly shaky foundations — an overreliance on imported fossil fuels that drains foreign reserves, exposes the economy to volatile global markets, and contributes significantly to environmental degradation.

Citizens may find brief sanctuary from sweltering afternoons, only to face the prospect of rolling blackouts when aging transmission lines—and surging demand—push the grid to its limits, warns the PDB chief

The low-lying delta nation of Bangladesh, a land often synonymous with resilience in the face of adversity, now stands at a critical juncture in its development trajectory. Having made remarkable strides in economic growth and poverty reduction, the country is increasingly aware of the imperative to decouple its progress from the environmental costs of traditional energy sources. The horizon of green potential beckons, promising a future powered by clean, sustainable energy, and Bangladesh has embarked on an ambitious, albeit challenging, journey to embrace this transition.

Gone is the old playbook of funneling electricity into Dhaka’s arteries at the cost of dimming rural homes, officials say. The interim administration has drawn a line in the sand: this summer, villages will not be left to sweat in silence so that city lights and air conditioners (ACs) can stay on

Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture in its energy journey. With a rapidly growing economy, a burgeoning population exceeding 170 million, and escalating energy demands, the nation faces the dual challenge of ensuring energy security while transitioning to a more sustainable and resilient energy system. This op-ed explores the current state of Bangladesh's energy system, identifies the barriers hindering its energy transition, and highlights the opportunities that can be harnessed to accelerate this transformation.

The hike erodes Bangladesh’s regional competitiveness. Competitors like Vietnam and India impose minimal taxes on LNG imports – 2.75% and 2% respectively – while Bangladesh slaps a steep 37% tariff, inflating costs despite government pledges to ease business expenses

The interim government published a draft of the new Renewable Energy Policy 2025 in February this year and also emphasised the renewable energy sector at the recent investment summit. Can the country finally achieve realistic renewable energy goals?

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) recently announced a 33 percent increase in gas prices for new industrial and captive power consumers. The tariff for new industrial connections rose from Tk 30 to Tk 40 per cubic metre, while captive power users saw the rate increase from Tk 31.5 to Tk 42 per cubic metre. This hike is likely to affect energy-intensive sectors, such as textiles and RMG, ceramics, steel, fertiliser production, and power generation.