Category: Energy and Power

Thailand could signifi cantly reduce its dependence on imported liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) by reforming policies that have slowed rooftop solar development, according to a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

Declining domestic gas production has increased Thailand’s reliance on imported LNG, exposing the economy to volatile global prices.

The government now aims to generate 60% of electricity from clean energy by 2050, double its previous target.

Rooftop solar accounted for about 3.6 GW of Thailand’s solar capacity in early 2026, but high installation costs, low electricity buyback rates, restrictive quotas and policy uncertainty have limited growth.

Rooftop systems cost around $936 per kW, nearly 50% higher than in some regional markets.

IEEFA said the current buyback rate of THB 2.20 ($0.07) per kWh is signifi cantly below the average retail electricity tariff of about THB 3.88/kWh.

The residential solar payback period is therefore around six to seven years.

The report recommends shifting from net billing to net metering, raising solar buyback rates, removing restrictive quotas, streamlining tax incentives and accelerating rooftop solar combined with battery storage.

The 17th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertifi cation (UNCCD COP17) concluded in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, recently, with 34 decisions adopted, while several key issues were deferred to COP18, including gender, civil society participation and synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements.

Despite geopolitical tensions and disagreements, delegates reaffi rmed the need for greater international cooperation.

Ministerial dialogues during the second week highlighted calls to strengthen coordination among the three Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertifi cation.

Agreement was also reached on several substantive issues, including rangelands and pastoralists, a major priority of the Mongolian presidency.

The COP encouraged countries to develop policies for the sustainable management, conservation and restoration of rangelands, which cover about 54% of the world’s land surface and support nearly 500 million pastoralists

The government has released Tk6,000 crore to boost electricity generation from oil-fi red power plants and clear outstanding dues to private power producers, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit said.

The funds will be released in two instalments and mainly used to settle payments to private power producers, enabling them to purchase fuel and operate their plants more effi ciently.

The government plans to increase oil-fi red power generation by at least 5,000MW to reduce loadshedding and ease pressure on gas-fi red plants.

Offi cials estimate that returning oilfi red plants to full operation could add around 2,500MW to the national grid.

The initiative is also aimed at freeing up gas for industrial consumers by shifting more power generation to fuel oil.

Oilfi red generation currently costs around Tk120 crore a day, and fuel oil purchases will be increased to support higher output.

Ventura Offshore has secured a $58 million drilling contract from PETRONAS EandP Bobara for a onewell campaign offshore Indonesia.

The contract will involve the ultra-deepwater drillship Deep Value Driller, which Ventura will market and operate under a new agreement with Eldorado Drilling, the vessel’s owner.

The drilling campaign highlights renewed offshore exploration activity in Southeast Asia, where operators are advancing oil and gas projects to strengthen regional energy supplies.

The marketing and operations agreement also expands Ventura Offshore’s managed fl eet and provides the company with opportunities to pursue additional ultra-deepwater drilling projects beyond the initial PETRONAS campaign.

A fi re at a temporary Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) offi ce inside the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant premises in Pabna damaged an internal server, documents and IT equipment, offi cials said.

The fi re broke out at a building near Gate No.

2 recently and was brought under control by fi re service personnel.

No one was injured.

The incident disrupted internal internet services temporarily.

Offi cials said the affected documents have backup copies and the fi re occurred outside the plant’s main facilities, so construction and commissioning activities remain unaffected.

A preliminary assessment suggested an electrical fault in an air-conditioning unit may have caused the fi re.

An investigation committee has been formed to determine the exact cause and assess the damage.

The 17th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertifi cation (UNCCD COP17) concluded in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, recently, with 34 decisions adopted, while several key issues were deferred to COP18, including gender, civil society participation and synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements.

Despite geopolitical tensions and disagreements, delegates reaffi rmed the need for greater international cooperation.

Ministerial dialogues during the second week highlighted calls to strengthen coordination among the three Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertifi cation.

Agreement was also reached on several substantive issues, including rangelands and pastoralists, a major priority of the Mongolian presidency.

The COP encouraged countries to develop policies for the sustainable management, conservation and restoration of rangelands, which cover about 54% of the world’s land surface and support nearly 500 million pastoralists

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo held a courtesy meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sept 7.

State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam was also present.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint Working Group on biodiversity conservation in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh under the existing memorandum of understanding between the two countries.

They also agreed to hold the next bilateral meeting in Bangladesh under the protocol signed for Royal Bengal Tiger conservation.

The two sides decided that the next meeting on transboundary conservation of the Asian elephant would be held in India.

Bangladesh’s decision to accelerate rooftop solar deployment is a welcome response to mounting pressure on the power system.

With load-shedding disrupting industry and daily life and imported fuel costs adding to economic pressure, reducing dependence on grid electricity has become increasingly important.

The government’s target of adding 3,000-4,000MW of rooftop solar before next summer is ambitious.

The new incentive package and tax concessions could provide muchneeded momentum, particularly by encouraging residential consumers, businesses and local entrepreneurs to invest in solar systems with battery storage.

But setting an ambitious target is easier than delivering it.

The failure of an earlier six-month program targeting 3,000MW demonstrates the diffi culties involved.

The latest program’s short eligibility period could make those challenges even more diffi cult to overcome.

The concerns raised by industry stakeholders and energy experts therefore deserve serious consideration.

If the proposed generation cost does not refl ect actual project economics, the incentive may fail to attract suffi cient investment.

Similarly, a short-term surplus-power purchase arrangement may not provide investors with the certainty needed to commit capital to projects with long payback periods.

The government should treat the current package as a starting point rather than a fi nished solution.

A longer implementation window, predictable and dynamic tariffs, easier fi nancing and time-bound approvals could signifi cantly improve its effectiveness.

Rooftop solar can help ease summer peak demand while contributing to Bangladesh’s longer-term energy transition.

But the priority should be not merely to announce thousands of megawatts, but to ensure that the announced capacity actually reaches rooftops.

Wildfi res in Trkiye’s Antalya province, which will host COP31, have intensifi ed calls for the country to demonstrate stronger climate leadership and put a fossil fuel phase out at the center of the November summit.

Climate campaign group 350.org said hundreds of people have been evacuated and thousands left without power as fi res spread across Antalya and other southern provinces.

It warned that rising temperatures and increasingly dry conditions are making wildfi res more frequent and destructive.

The group urged Trkiye, as COP31 host and co-chair, to announce a national roadmap to reduce dependence on coal, oil and gas and accelerate a just transition to renewable energy.

‘COP31 is an opportunity for Trkiye to demonstrate true leadership’ by advancing the transition away from fossil fuels, said Efe Baysal, 350.org Trkiye Manager.

He also called for a clear timeline to phase out coal and stronger action to address the causes of the climate crisis.

350.org Trkiye is campaigning for a coal exit strategy, an end to fossil fuel subsidies and greater support for community-led renewable energy, arguing that climate action must address both the impacts and underlying causes of the crisis.

Countries are increasingly learning from each other on how to translate their national climate commitments into practical action under a mandate adopted at COP30, according to UN Climate Change.

The Global Mutirão Decision adopted at COP30 called on the UNFCCC secretariat to organize peer exchanges on developing and implementing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

So far, at least 22 such events have been held across the six regions covered by the UNFCCC secretariat and its Regional Collaboration Centers (RCCs).

The exchanges are taking place across Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia and the Pacifi c, and Africa, with additional events planned in the coming months.

The focus varies by region, ranging from climate fi nance and rural electrifi cation to institutional coordination and carbon-market development.

In the Pacifi c, countries are discussing how small island administrations can coordinate limited resources and improve access to international climate fi nance.

In East and Southern Africa, Seychelles has shared its experience establishing a dedicated climate fi nance unit, while Senegal has shared lessons from its solar rural electrifi cation program with Togo, Burkina Faso and Cameroon.

The Caribbean is linking peer learning directly with access to fi nance, bringing countries together with institutions including the Green Climate Fund and regional development banks.

In Latin America, countries including Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica have highlighted the need to involve fi nance, planning and sectoral ministries in NDC implementation rather than leaving it solely to environment ministries.

The UN Climate Change secretariat said the exchanges demonstrate that countries do not have to navigate NDC implementation alone.

By sharing both successful approaches and lessons from setbacks, the peer-learning process is helping countries develop more practical and fi nanceable climate action plans ahead of COP31 in Trkiye.