Category: Energy and Power

Oil prices dived, bonds rallied and stocks surged recently after a two-week cease?re in the Middle East spurred a relief rally as investors cheered the possible resumption of oil and gas ?owing through the Strait of Hormuz.

uS President Donald Trump said he agreed to suspend bombing and attacks on Iran for two weeks and that a long-term peace agreement was in progress. Global markets have been rattled since the US and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February, leading Tehran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway used to transit one-?fth of the world’s oil and gas.

uS crude futures CLc1 fell around 16.5% to $94 a barrel, SandP 500 futures ESc1 leapt over 2% and the dollar fell broadly, having been the haven of choice for investors during the tumult.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon recently said that environmental challenges have evolved into an existential crisis for human civilization rather than being merely issues addressed within annual budgets or ?ve-year development plans. He called on the younger generation to go beyond textbook learning and understand the deep connections between global politics, the energy crisis, and environmental degradation.

the minister made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the Green Energy Olympiad 2026, organized by Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Paci?c (CIRDAP) auditorium in the capital.

The government plans to import 11 lique?ed natural gas (LNG) cargoes in May despite surging global prices as it seeks to ensure an adequate gas supply for power generation during the peak summer season.

earlier, Bangladesh had considered scaling back May imports to nine cargoes from its original plan of 11 – the same as April levels – amid supply disruptions triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. However, the authorities have reversed the plan amid concerns that reduced imports would force cuts in gas supply to power plants and lead to load-shedding in the impending hot and humid month of May, when electricity demand could reach around 17,000MW. Petrobangla of?cials said maintaining higher LNG imports was essential to sustain electricity generation from gas-?red power plants.

Energy-related decisions will be critical for the country’s macroeconomic management, according to economist Debapriya Bhattacharya, who called for careful assessment of policy options and coordination with the ?nance ministry. Without such coordination, any decision taken solely by the energy ministry could put the economy at risk, he said. Speaking at a media brie?ng organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in Dhaka recently, Bhattacharya, convener of the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, talked about the challenges facing the ?rst budget of the new government. ‘If the government wants to take any decision regarding fuel and energy, it should not take it without analyzing the impact on the macroeconomy,’ he said. ‘You will have to ?rst understand the ?scal space of the country within the existing macroeconomic situation,’ said the economist.

A study from the Institute for Essential Services Reform and Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs explores how Indonesia can turn its target of deploying 100 GW of solar from mandate to mobilization. Research from Indonesia has proposed a 180-day action plan to operationalize the country’s 100 GW solar initiative.

the Solar Archipelago: Indonesia’s 100 GW Leap to Energy Sovereignty report, by thinktank Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) in collaboration with Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, serves as an implementation framework to realize Indonesia’s 100 GW directive. First announced in August 2025, the 100 GW target encompasses 80 GW of decentralized, small-scale solar systems with accompanying battery energy storage systems (BESS) to be deployed across 80,000 villages, alongside 20 GW of centralized solar. Fabby Tumiwa, IESR CEO, told pv magazine that in order to reach the target, the institute is recommending the initiative is designated as a national strategic program, with the establishing a centralized project management unit to coordinate the rollout

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo held a meeting with Norbu Wangchuk, Director General of the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP), at his of?ce in the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka recently. During the meeting, they discussed key regional environmental challenges, including air and water pollution control, plastic reduction, climate change mitigation, waste management, and biodiversity conservation. Both sides emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation among member countries in addressing these issues.

the minister called for enhanced collaboration with SACEP on various environmental protection initiatives in Bangladesh. He highlighted that the government has already undertaken multiple measures to combat air, water, noise, and marine pollution, as well as to tackle climate change. SACEP Director General Norbu Wangchuk reaf?rmed the organization’s commitment to working collectively with member countries under various international conventions to protect the environment and address climate change challenges

Unreliable power supply has been cited as the biggest obstacle to doing business in Bangladesh, according to a World Bank report. Bangladeshi businesses face a signi?cant disadvantage compared to other South Asian countries, with ?rms experiencing an average of 26 electricity outages per month, as per the World Bank’s Bangladesh Development Update report, which was released on 8 April. For the median company, the report states that these disruptions cost nearly 9% of annual sales, while delays in obtaining electricity connections remain longer than in neighboring nations, hampering growth and competitiveness.

the world bank report states frequent power disruptions have led to repeated production stoppages and signi?cant output losses across industries, affecting overall productivity and competitiveness.

A national workshop in Dhaka has highlighted critical ?nancing, policy, and implementation gaps that continue to hinder the expansion of renewable energy in Bangladesh’s most climate-vulnerable areas.

titled ‘Bridging Macroeconomic Barriers and Field Implementation under the NABAPALLAB Project,’ the event brought together policymakers, development partners, private sector leaders, and ?nancial institutions. The workshop was jointly organized by CARE Bangladesh and iDE Bangladesh. Discussions centered on identifying scalable and ?nancially viable renewable energy solutions for ecologically sensitive regions such as the Sundarbans and Hakaluki Haor.

In a major step toward addressing the multifaceted crises faced by women in Bangladesh’s coastal belt due to climate change and rising salinity, a set of integrated livelihood plans and guidelines has been ?nalized. These strategic tools were presented recently at a validation workshop titled ‘Resilient Futures: GenderResponsive Livelihood Materials and Climate Pathways,’ held at a hotel in Dhaka.

the Department of Women Affairs (DWA) under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), is currently implementing a specialized project across ?ve upazilas in Khulna and Satkhira.

titled ‘Gender-responsive Coastal Adaptation (GCA),’ the project aims to enhance the adaptive capacities of coastal communities, particularly women, to cope with climate changeinduced salinity.

The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank recently said they will form a coordination group to maximize their response to the signi?cant economic and energy impacts of the war in the Middle East.

in a joint statement, the three global bodies noted that the war had caused major disruptions in the region and triggered one of the largest supply shortages in global energy market history. ‘At these times of high uncertainty, it is paramount that our institutions join forces to monitor developments, align analysis, and coordinate support to policymakers to navigate this crisis,’ the heads of the IMF, IEA and World Bank said.

the new coordination group will assess the severity of impacts across countries, coordinate a response mechanism, and mobilize stakeholders to deliver support to countries in need, the international bodies said.