Building Bangladesh's maiden permanent land-based LNG terminal now stalls with the cancellation of short-listing of bidders for the project aimed at ending reliance on expensive floating units hired for re-gasification of the imported liquid gas, sources said.

The Ministry of Finance has received a proposal from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for issuing new bonds worth Tk5,000 crore to settle outstanding dues in the power sector.

Bangladesh has recently made an extraordinary breakthrough with the discovery of a massive 2.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas reserves in the Bhola district. This discovery was achieved with the technological assistance of the Russian energy giant Gazprom, marking one of the most significant finds in the country's history. This new reserve not only provides a critical boost to Bangladesh's energy security but also holds substantial implications for its geopolitical positioning in the region and beyond.

The government is set to issue new bonds worth Tk 5000 crore to address pending payments to private power producers, according to official sources.

The move is currently awaiting final approval from the Finance Ministry.

The interim government is eyeing to float an international tender afresh to seek expressions of interest (EoIs) from interested global players for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on a spot basis.

Officials said the state-owned Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd (RPGCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Petrobangla, would float the tender soon.

The agreement was signed in March under a special law without a competitive bidding process.

The interim government has cancelled the contract for establishing the floating LNG terminal (FSRU-3) with Summit Group, an agreement that the Awami League government signed on 30 March of this year under a special law without a tender process.

The state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has failed to float an open tender for setting up 10 grid-connected solar power plants in the private sector, despite a top-level decision by the Power Division as part of renewable energy promotion.

The proposed project for electricity generation from waste in Bakalia Char on the Karnaphuli River has been cancelled following protests over concerns that it would cause river pollution and harm biodiversity.

The recent formation of the National Review Committee by the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources marks a critical step in addressing the opaque dealings surrounding power supply contracts, particularly those with India's Adani Power. As the committee embarks on its review of 11 contracts, including significant agreements made during the tenure of the previous Awami League government, it confronts an essential question: how can we ensure that the energy sector serves the national interest rather than the interests of a select few?

Bangladesh, a developing country with aspirations for economic growth, is currently grappling with an energy crisis that hampers its progress. As the population increases and industrialisation accelerates, there is a marked decrease in the availability of energy resources, leading to a significant energy deficit. This crisis comes at considerable costs to the economy, the welfare of citizens, and the environment.

The national committee on reviewing power and energy sector deals has sought data on 11 power plants approved under the 'controversial' special provision law.

The power plants are: Godda 1,496 MW coal-fired power plant, Adani's Meghnaghat 583 MW dual fuel power plant, Baghabari 200 MW diesel-fired power plant, Patuakhali 150 MW high sulfur fuel oil (HSFO)-fired power plant, Ashuganj 150 MW HSFO-fired power plant, Manikgonj 162 MW HSFO-fired power plant, Kodda 300 MW HSFO-fired power plant, Mongla 100 MW solar power plant, Sundarganj 200 MW solar power plant, Lalmonirhat 30 MW solar power plant, and Sutiakhali 50 MW solar power plant.

Environment Adviser on a two-day visit to Nepal to witness the signing of this historic power sales agreement between Bangladesh, Nepal, and IndiaA tripartite 40 MW power agreement was signed among Nepal, Bangladesh and India on Thursday.

Syeda Rizwana Hassan, Adviser for Environment, Forest, Climate Change, and Water Resources, witnessed the signing of a 40-megawatt electricity agreement between Nepal, Bangladesh, and India.

Coal-fired power plants enjoy free rein to unfairly influence the cost of its fuel on the one hand, while on the other, they burn coal having quality far less than the one the government has paid for, revealed official documents and interviews with officials of major coal power plants and Bangladesh Power Development Board.

The wrecking of the economy as well as the environment by coal power plants is occurring almost silently, energy experts said, thanks to the controversial power deals and the sheer monitoring failure of the Power Development Board.

Energy, Power, and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan has said that simplifying the processes of gas well drilling and exploration will help alleviate the ongoing energy crisis in Bangladesh.

The interim government has announced six commissions for reforms in the constitution, the electoral system, the judiciary, the police, the Anti-corruption Commission and public administration. Considering the significance, urgency and challenges of Net Zero Vision 2050, the government should add environment commission to the cart as well. As efforts to harness the challenges of Net Zero Vision 2050 open up a ‘system crunch’ involving the stakeholders, including corporate giants, policy makers and consumers to adopt a holistic ‘de-carbonisation’ cycle in little more than a generation, it is never going to be easy to achieve the goal by 2050.