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PTTEP Sabah Oil Ltd. (PTTEP) has let a offshore subsea contract to McDermott for the Block H gas field expansion project, offshore Sabah in East Malaysia.

the contract, valued by the service company at $50-250 million, covers Alum, Bemban, and Permai deepwater fields. McDermott will deliver engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) services for a carbon steel pipeline, along with transportation and installation of key subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF) components.

the infrastructure is part of a broader system to deliver additional feed gas to the Petronas Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Dua (PFLNG DUA) vessel which has been producing from Block H’s Rotan and Buluh fields since 2021. PTTEP is operator at Block H with partners Petronas Carigali and PT Pertamina Malaysia Exploration Production.

The global wind turbine market was valued at USD 151.8 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% from 2025 to 2034, as reported in the latest study by Global Market Insights, Inc. Wind turbines are essential devices that convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy, which is then used to generate electricity.

this renewable energy source is crucial in reducing reliance on fossil fuels and addressing the challenges of climate change.

the increasing integration of wind energy with storage solutions and the rising focus on sustainability by corporations are key drivers of market growth. Wind energy is becoming a cornerstone of global decarbonization strategies as countries implement ambitious renewable energy targets. Developers are prioritizing environmentally sustainable wind projects, adopting certifications and best practices to promote eco-friendly construction and operations, further boosting the adoption of wind turbines. By axis type, horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) are expected to dominate, with USD 303 billion by 2034.

their efficiency, scalability, and adaptability across various applications contribute to this growth.

French energy multinational TotalEnergies and German energy group RWE have won a contract to build a large offshore wind energy project with a potential to supply the equivalent of one million households with electricity, the French government said recently.

the project, called ‘Centre Manche 2’, will be France’s largest-ever renewable energy installation.

totalEnergies in a separate statement put the overall investment at 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), making the deal the company’s biggest French contract in three decades.

the offshore farm is to go onstream in 2033, and will take France’s total wind energy production, either already in operation or in development, to 7.8 gigawatts, the energy ministry said. France’s four currently operational wind farms each produce under 500 megawatts, the same output level as the two wind farms currently being built. France hopes to generate 45 gigawatts in offshore wind energy by 2050.

Energy experts are worried about Bangladesh not having an energy transition roadmap yet, warning that the acute energy crisis is likely to persist. The experts, however, had different views about what constituted an energy transition. Some of them are in favor of switching to renewable energy, while others believe it could be adopting nuclear energy or any other alternative source of energy. They shared the observation at a seminar titled ‘Energy Transition: Is Bangladesh on the Right Track?’ organized by the Cosmos Foundation at the Cosmos Centre in Dhaka recently. Concerned by endless corruption in the fossil fuel sector, the energy experts viewed the energy transition as an opportunity to ensure accountability and energy efficiency with the end goal of establishing energy and consumer justice. ‘Energy transition should ideally begin with ensuring energy justice and consumer rights,’ said M Shamsul Alam, energy adviser, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB). He was surprised by the fact that the Anti-Corruption Commission had yet to bring corruption charges against anyone in the energy sector since the interim government assumed power, promising change and transparency.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan recently stressed stronger enforcement, institutional capacity, transparency, and accountability in environmental regulation, along with an end to faulty clearances. Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar, Rizwana, also Adviser of the Ministry of Water Resources, urged officials of the Department of Environment (DoE) to act creatively and fearlessly. ‘Enforcement is not just about fines.

it must include transparency, alternatives, and community empowerment,’ she said.

the World Bank organized the seminar titled ‘Strengthening Environmental Regulatory and Enforcement Capacity for a Sustainable Bangladesh’ in Sreepur upazila of the district, said a ministry press release. On enforcement priorities, the Adviser called for targeting hotspots such as dyeing industries, cement factories, and brick kilns. ‘We must focus on the worst polluters with proper budgeting and planning. Publish the names of polluters online. With information accessible, citizens will support enforcement against political pressure,’ she stressed.

A fire broke out at the Ghorashal Thermal Power Plant in Polash upazila of Narsingdi recently, damaging a transformer and disrupting power supply for several hours.

a senior station officer of Polash Fire Service said that the fire originated in the 132/33 KV transformer.

two fire service units reached the spot and doused the flames after nearly an hour of efforts. ‘The transformer was completely burnt,’ Shahid said, adding that the fire might have been caused by a short circuit.

the exact cause will be ascertained after an investigation. Following the fire, electricity supply remained suspended in Polash upazila and neighboring Kaliganj. Power was later restored in different areas.

The government has taken several decisions to make the Bangladesh Secretariat free from single-use plastics from October 2 under a pilot initiative.

the decision would be implemented by putting in place a strict checking system at all the secretariat entrances to prevent the entry of identified single-use plastic items, said a recent press release from the environment, forest and climate change ministry.

each ministry will appoint a focal person and form a monitoring committee, while the ministries and departments located outside the secretariat premises will also implement the decision. If this pilot program succeeds, it will serve as a model to scale across the country, as per the release.

the government’s first initiative in this regard came in August last year just after the interim government’s takeover when single-use plastic bottles were banned on the Chief Adviser’s Office premises.

Seven people suffered burns in an explosion at Gulshan Petrol Pump in Mohakhali Amtali area of Dhaka recently.

of them, Swapan Molla, 24, Kabir, 18, Rubel, 28, and Khairul, 28, are employees of the Gulshan Clean and Care company, while Masudur Rahman, 44, is another company owner, and Almagir Hossain, 40, and Sojib, 31, are his employees. Gulshan Clean and Care staff member Swapan said they were taken to the petrol pump to clean an underground tank.

once the fuel had been removed, they entered the tank to clean it and used an electric fan to remove the remaining gas inside. ‘At one point, when we went to switch off the electric fan, the explosion occurred inside and all seven of us who were nearby suffered burns.,’ he said. Locals who rushed them to National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery said the fire was extinguished immediately after the explosion. Doctors at the burn institute said the injured were kept under observation.

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited conducted a mobile court drive in Narayanganj recently and severed illegal gas connections to curb unauthorized use and safeguard government revenue.

the operation was carried out at Langalbandh under Bandar Thana where 6,655 cubic feet of gas wastage was prevented, valued at around Taka 18,100 per day and Taka 506,000 per month. During the drive, 320 feet of illegal pipelines spread across a two-kilometer area were removed, leading to the disconnection of 300 residential burners, nine commercial burners and one oven.

the mobile court also imposed a fine of Taka one lakh on an accused for using illegal gas connections.

China has announced a new climate action plan at a UN meeting — its first pledge to include absolute targets for cutting planet-warming gases — setting a goal of reducing emissions by 7-10 percent by 2035. China is the world’s second biggest economy, and since 2006, the largest polluter, now accounting for nearly 30 percent of global emissions. Paradoxically, it is also a clean energy powerhouse, rapidly shifting to renewable energy while selling the world its solar panels, batteries, and electric cars. Beijing’s trajectory will be crucial to whether the world can limit end-of-century warming to 1.5C, the threshold UN scientists say is needed to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate disruption.

under the Paris Agreement, countries must update their ‘Nationally Determined Contributions’ every five years. With the year’s main climate summit in Brazil fast approaching in November, expectations were running high for President Xi Jinping’s announcement recently at the United Nations.