Seventeen years after its first renewable energy framework done, Bangladesh has launched the Renewable Energy Policy 2025, aiming to generate 20 per cent of total electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 30 per cent by 2040.

The policy marks a strategic pivot toward sustainable energy, aligned with national plans such as the Integrated Energy and Power Master Plan (IEPMP), Delta Plan 2100, and international climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

The government of China has formally embarked on constructing what is projected to become the world's largest hydropower dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River, known downstream as the Brahmaputra in India and Bangladesh. This mega-dam will comprise a cascade of five hydropower stations situated in Nyingchi, southeastern Tibet, and will be capable of generating 60,000 MW of electricity—roughly three times the annual electricity generation of Bangladesh.

For Bangladesh, far downstream yet acutely affected, the Medog Hydropower Station highlights its struggles to ensure equitable water-sharing.

When Chinese Premier Li Qiang broke ground on the world’s most ambitious dam – the Medog Hydropower Station on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet – global headlines fixated on its scale and scope. With a projected cost of $167 billion and an expected capacity triple that of the Three Gorges Dam, the project is a technological marvel.

The government has extended a sovereign and indemnity guarantee to the World Bank (WB) to support Petrobangla's costly liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, ensuring payment if the state-run company fails to repay its loans on time.

A senior official from the Finance Division under the Ministry of Finance (MoF) told The Financial Express on Saturday that the MoF provided the counter-guarantee or indemnity to the multilateral donor agency to reimburse funds, if needed. The World Bank's repayment guarantee is thus backed firmly by the Ministry of Finance's sovereign guarantee.

Natural gas has been the lifeblood of Bangladesh's energy security since the '60s of the last century when a global energy giant, Shell Oil, first hit upon five major gas fields in this part of the world. Since then, the country has been considered a gas-rich nation. Later, in 1997, Chevron discovered the Bibiyana gas field in Habiganj. According to Petrobangla, the state-owned oil, gas and mineral exploration and distribution company, Bangladesh has 22 onshore gas blocks, of which 11 have never been explored. In addition, it has also 26 offshore gas blocks in the Bay of Bengal, divided into 11 shallow-sea blocks and 15 deep-sea blocks, which may be contracted out to international gas and oil exploration companies.

Cheap Chinese panels are powering desalination plants for areas that have long struggled with water shortages

Solar-powered desalination plants are offering a lifeline to communities in the most climate-ravaged part of Bangladesh’s coast, where rising sea levels, floods and tidal surges are pushing salt water inland.

The sharp decline in LNG imports – down by nearly 1.86 lakh tonnes – was driven by weather-related disruptions and payment complications, prompting an increased reliance on LPG for both household and industrial consumption

Bangladesh has seen a significant shift in its energy import pattern in FY25, with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) imports rising by 10.52%, while Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports dropped by 27.23% compared to the previous year.

BPDB has been buying electricity from state-run or JV plants without formal tariff approval

The interim government has initiated steps to amend power-purchase agreements (PPAs) and lower tariff rates for nine power plants that have been selling electricity to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) without securing official approval for their tariffs, according to sources.

BRAC Bank has emerged as one of the first institutions in Bangladesh to publicly disclose 100% of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, covering the full spectrum from internal operations to emissions generated through its financing activities, says a press statement.

With the release of its Sustainability and Impact Report 2024, BRAC Bank completed a full-scale carbon accounting exercise, reporting a total of 1,477,468 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) across direct (Scope 1), energy-related (Scope 2), and value chain (Scope 3) emissions, marking a significant step toward environmental transparency in the financial sector.

Climate change poses an existential threat to Bangladesh, one of the most vulnerable countries due to its geographical location, high population density, and dependence on agriculture. Rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and changing monsoon patterns significantly affect livelihoods, food security, and economic stability.

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI, July 21 (Reuters) - China's Premier Li Qiang announced construction had begun on what will be the world's largest hydropower dam, on the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau, at an estimated cost of at least $170 billion, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Commencement of the hydropower project, China's most ambitious since the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, was seized by Chinese markets as proof of economic stimulus, sending stock prices and bond yields higher on Monday.

The interim government has moved to set rates for nine large power plants that have been selling electricity to the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) without official tariff approval. However, the power plants in question are owned by the state-run entities, fully or partially.

These power plants, with a combined capacity of 3,414 megawatts, were implemented during the previous Awami League government.

Despite renewed government orders, Bangladesh’s rooftop solar dream risks collapsing again unless it learns from its past mistakes

On June 25, Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus ordered the installation of solar panels on the rooftops of all government buildings. Within a week, the country's High Court delivered another landmark verdict—responding to a petition by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), it directed that solar panels be installed on all rooftops in Dhaka.

Moscow to revise loan agreement, Washington expected to allow transaction with Russian cos

Bangladesh is expected to join over 50 countries using nuclear power peacefully as one of the two under-construction reactors of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Iswardi will go on production in October. Officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology have told New Age that around 52 days will take the reactor to deliver potential 1,200 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.

Bangladesh is likely to propose investment deals worth US$2 billion with Indonesia, focusing on the second phase of the Matarbari coal-fired power plant and a land-based LNG terminal, during the upcoming visit of Chief Adviser of the interim government, Prof. Muhammed Yunus, to Jakarta next month.