In 2009, only 47% of Bangladesh’s population had access to electricity. Sixteen years on, the country has rapidly transformed its power sector and now has surplus generation capacity. On the primary energy front, it opted for expensive and volatile liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet its insatiable appetite for gas.

As the world gears up for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled to be held in Brazil next month, Bangladesh has renewed its climate pledge through the submission of its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0). NDCs are national plans through which countries outline their commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement. Bangladesh had earlier submitted two NDCs, the first in 2015 and the second in 2021.

The plan has been submitted to UNFCCC ahead of COP 30 in Nov

Bangladesh has set a fresh target of green house gas (GHG) emission reduction, 26.74 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eq), by 2035 in its latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), a national plan to show global commitment to the Paris Agreement (PA) ahead of the COP 30.

The average tariff quoted by bidders across tenders stands at 8.27 US cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) – a massive 37.77% reduction from the current average solar generation cost of 13.29 cents

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has received dramatically lower tariff offers for its ambitious nationwide solar power projects, a development that not only signals a new era for the country's renewable energy sector but also promises substantial savings on electricity generation costs.

Anticipating a surge in power demand in the summer of 2025, the Bangladesh government moved early with precautionary measures to manage the load. Peak consumption was expected to hit 18,000 megawatts (MW), up from 17,200MW on 29 April 2024. In February this year, the government issued a circular, restricting households from setting their air conditioners below 25 degrees Celsius, while the nation’s Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) set benchmark energy consumption levels for government offices.

Advisory Council set to decide on revised rates, irregularities flagged in earlier deals

Power tariffs of half a dozen of the state-owned power plants are set to be cut years after initiation of their commercial operations, said sources.

As the world’s climate crisis escalates, Asia is playing a significant role due to its highest contribution to CO2 emissions, accounting for around 60 per cent of the total 40 billion metric tons of carbon emissions. According to the emission index, Bangladesh ranks 35th globally in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the emission index, Bangladesh produces 1.3 tons of CO2 per person, placing it 170th out of 191 countries in terms of emissions produced per capita.

IAEA recommendations are being implemented now, says Science and Technology Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed

Bangladesh is on the cusp of a historic energy milestone: the trial run of the nation's first-ever nuclear power plant, the $12.65 billion Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

From remote villages to bustling towns, solar energy and efficient appliances are powering a new Bangladesh

On a winter evening in Narail, cattle farmer Shaqline Habib strolls through his shed, flicking on a small light above the resting cows. "Before I installed solar, this place was in complete darkness. Now the cows are calmer at night, and I don't have to rely on costly kerosene lamps," he says with quiet satisfaction.

Bangladesh is preparing to significantly ramp up its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from long-term suppliers next year, aiming to reduce dependence on costly and uncertain spot market purchases.

Imports under long-term sales and purchase agreements (SPAs) are set to rise by more than 53 per cent in 2026, reaching 86 cargoes compared with 56 this year, according to officials.

Power producers say penalties are breach of contract

Despite delaying power purchase payments for up to seven months, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is imposing penalties on independent power producers (IPPs) for excess outages.

Petrobangla sources reported that the country is currently facing a supply shortfall of at least 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day. To reduce this shortfall in the ongoing fiscal year, Petrobangla will purchase 115 LNG cargoes from long-term suppliers in Qatar and Oman, as well as from the spot market.

Parts of Dhaka witnessed hours of power cuts on Thursday following the partial collapse of the national power transmission grid in the morning.

Data released by Power Grid Bangladesh revealed a power shortage of 498MW at 4:00pm when the supply of power stood at 14,379MW against the power demand of 14,900MW, which is just half of Bangladesh’s current installed power generation capacity of 28,197MW.

There is a race among many countries, barring those which have huge fossil fuel reserves, for transition to renewable energy. In fact, if the planet Earth has to meet the challenges posed by the global warming, the option for such a transition is overriding. Dependence on fossil fuel is aggravating the climate change for the worse. Let alone the tropical regions of the world, even Europe is getting warmer at twice the rate of average warming of the world. As many as 62,000 people in Europe lost their lives due to rising temperature last year, according to a study conducted by Spanish researchers and released on Monday last.

Half a dozen international firms are vying for contract to construct a new floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at Moheshkhali island as Bangladesh opts for enhancing LNG-handling capacity amid falling domestic gas reserves against rising demand.

Sources say they have submitted proposals either to state-run Petrobangla, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, or both, in the hope of securing a new contract to develop the facility near the country's two existing FSRUs that treat the imported liquefied natural gas or LNG.