Energy News

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.

Chinese authorities have begun constructing what will be the world's largest hydropower dam in Tibetan territory, in a project that has sparked concerns from India and Bangladesh. Chinese Premier Li Qiang presided over a ceremony marking the start of construction on the Yarlung Tsangpo river on Saturday, according to local media.

The river flows through the Tibetan plateau. The project has attracted criticism for its potential impact on millions of Indians and Bangladeshis living downriver, as well as the surrounding environment and local Tibetans.

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.

The government is drawing up a three-year roadmap to gradually cut subsidies in the power and gas sectors, aiming to ease the growing fiscal pressure.

The roadmap, covering FY26 to FY28, is being developed with assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is expected to be finalised by September. An IMF technical mission visited Dhaka in May and has already drafted a plan.

In a bid to rein in soaring electricity subsidies and generation costs, the government has initiated a plan to reduce expenditure at power plants where it holds full or partial ownership, officials said.

The initial focus will be on trimming operating and maintenance (O&M) costs through discussions and negotiations with state-owned power companies and joint ventures in which the government has substantial stakes.

Under the new arrangement, repayments will now commence in September 2028

Bangladesh has successfully got extended the Russian loan disbursement period for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant until 2027.

No press conferences. No social media fanfare. No credit-taking speeches. Just quiet, focused work that delivered results.

In a country where political promises are often louder than action and where the word "reform" is more likely to show up in party manifestos than in the day-to-day machinery of government, one ministry has shown what meaningful change can look like. Not in theory, not on paper, but in practice.

The interim government has backed down from its "prior re-negotiation" on tariffs as the pre-condition for approval of the commercial operation date (COD) of the 718MW JERA Meghnaghat power plant.

The state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) now intends to approve the COD of the Japanese JERA-owned gas-fired combined cycle power plant before tariff re-negotiation, a source close to the matter told The Financial Express Monday.