Category: Energy and Power

Bangladesh will purchase $3.5 billion of US agricultural products and $15 billion of energy products over 15 years, as part of a broader reciprocal trade agreement with Washington signed recently.

This procurement value will increase if the planned purchase of 14 Boeing jets by state-run Biman is taken into account.

The interim government said it is going to sign a deal with Boeing to purchase 14 planes valued at around Tk 30,000-35,000 crore ($2.46-2.87 billion). ‘Bangladesh commits to provide signifi cant preferential market access for US industrial and agricultural goods, including: chemicals; medical devices; machinery and motor vehicles and parts; information and communication technology (ICT) equipment; energy products; soy products; dairy products; beef; poultry; and tree nuts and fruit,’ said a joint statement issued by the White House.

The UK government has secured a record 4.9 GW of solar capacity in its latest contracts for difference (CfD) auction round, at a clearing price of GBP 65 ($88) per MWh.

AR7 awarded contracts to 1.87 GW of capacity across 72 projects due to come online by 2028, and 3 GW of capacity to 85 projects due by 2029.

Successful developers will now be awarded a 20-year fl at rate contract with the stateowned Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC). CfDs have been a key part of the UK government’s renewables strategy since the fi rst auction opened in October 2014.

There was a step change in solar capacity succeeding at auction in the sixth allocation round, when nearly 3.3 GW was allocated across 90 projects – a record at the time.

The increase in solar capacity assigned through UK CfDs comes as the government pursues ambitious deployment targets, aiming to more than double PV capacity from 21.5 GW recorded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in December 2025 to at least 45 GW by 2030.

Eight people were injured, including two with burns, when a gas cylinder exploded at Pasta Club Restaurant in the Wari area of Dhaka recently.

The incident occurred on the third fl oor of the Bata Showroom building under Wari Police Station, where the restaurant’s kitchen gas cylinder suddenly exploded.

The injured were identifi ed as Shah Alam, 45, Yunus, 30, Saurav, 25, Mehedi, 25, Mostofa, 27, Abir, 22, Jasim, 28, and Kamrul, 20.

Eyewitness Yusuf Sheikh said nearby people rushed to the scene after hearing the explosion. With the help of locals and passersby, the injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Several victims are receiving treatment at the hospital’s burn unit.

Harun-ur-Rashid, resident surgeon at DMCH Burn and Emergency Unit, said two burn victims were admitted, and their condition is being treated, though the extent of their injuries is not yet clear.

GBB Power Limited (GBBPL), an independent power producer supplying electricity to the national grid, has set out to develop an 18-megawatt solar power plant as its existing plants have shut down following the expiry of their power supply agreements. With the closure of its plants, the company’s revenue from operations fell to zero, leaving it reliant on other income – primarily interest earned from fi xed deposit receipts (FDRs).

In a disclosure fi led with the stock exchanges on 27 January, GBB Power said it has signed a power purchase contract with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and a consortium led by Fiber@Home. Under the contract, the company will set up an 18MW (AC) solar power plant near the Hathazari 230/132/33kV grid substation in Chattogram. Power supply to the national grid is expected to begin within 24 months from the date of signing the contract.

The Extraordinary General Meeting of Jamuna Oil Company Limited was held on a virtual platform recently.

The Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Jamuna Oil Company Limited was held on a virtual platform.

The EGM was presided over by Md.

Eunusur Rahman, former Senior Secretary of the Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance, and Chairman of the JOCL Board.

In the EGM, the proposal to change the name of the company was unanimously approved as a Special Resolution.

In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1994 (Second Amendment, 2020), a decision was made to change the registered name of the institution from ‘Jamuna Oil Company Limited’ to ‘Jamuna Oil PLC’.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed Murat Kurum, Trkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, as President of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), according to a decision published in the Offi cial Gazette.

The decision also confi rmed that the Antalya EXPO site has been designated as the venue for the conference, refl ecting Trkiye’s preparations to host one of the world’s most important climate diplomacy gatherings. COP31 is expected to take place in 2026, subject to fi nal confi rmation under UNFCCC procedures.

In an offi cial statement, Turkish authorities said they look forward to welcoming international delegations to Antalya to take ‘more decisive and determined steps in climate action,’ underscoring Trkiye’s intention to play a more prominent role in global climate negotiations. Murat Kurum, who has overseen Trkiye’s climate, urban resilience, and environmental transformation policies, is expected to focus on adaptation, climate fi nance, sustainable urban development, and support for developing countries.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has signed power purchase agreements with seven solar projects totaling 523 MW, marking a renewed push for utility-scale solar following the reinstatement of previously canceled approvals.

Bangladesh has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for a combined 523 MW of solar capacity, as the BPDB formalized deals with seven grid-connected projects.

The PPAs were signed in Dhaka by BPDB board secretary Rashedul Hoque Prodhan in the presence of senior board offi cials.

The projects, ranging in size from 10 MW to 200 MW, are under construction in the districts of Chittagong, Bogra, Nilphamari, and Noakhali.

Each project will supply electricity to the national grid for 20 years from the start of commercial operation.

A BPDB offi cial said the plants are expected to begin delivering power to the grid in the near term.

The tenders for the solar projects were issued several months after the interim government assumed offi ce in August 2024.

United Power experienced a marginal 2 per cent rise in profi t to Tk 2.98 billion in the second quarter of FY26, despite a more than 22 per cent decline in revenue, as the cost of sales shrank by 40 per cent.

It has been facing diminishing revenue as the government is gradually reducing its dependence on private power producers to reduce costs.

In the October-December quarter of FY26, the company’s earnings stood at Tk 5.06 per share, which is 1.94 per cent higher than the EPS of the same quarter a year earlier. United Power Generation and Distribution Company Ltd. (UPGDCL), established in 2007 and part of the Bangladeshi conglomerate United Group, is a premier private power generator supplying uninterrupted power to industries in export processing zones (EPZs).

It operates multiple gas- and HFO-based plants, providing electricity and steam to industrial, commercial, and government clients.

Analysis by energy advisory service Montel fi nds Germany, France and the Netherlands all saw record levels of renewables curtailment last year, with the build out of solar in each market contributing to midday generation peaks and consequential price cannibalization. Germany, France and the Netherlands cut a cumulative 3.9 TWh of renewable energy last year, according to analysis by energy advisory service Montel Analytics. Montel’s European price sensitive curtailment report covers commercial curtailment volumes across ten European markets. Germany, France and the Netherlands account for over 80% of the cut volumes across the ten countries monitored in the report, each setting new records for curtailed renewable energy in 2025.

The three countries also set new records for hours of negative day ahead prices last year, with Germany recording 539, France 509 and the Netherlands 584. Germany curtailed 1,749.7 GWh of renewables in 2025, almost 25% higher than in 2024 and above its record set in 2020.

India has announced a major expansion in upstream opportunities with the launch of 50 new exploration and production (EandP) blocks across oil, gas and coal bed methane (CBM) assets, according to various news reports.

In a social media post on X, this move was described by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as a ‘transformative milestone’ for the country’s energy sector.

The offer includes 25 blocks under the latest Open Acreage Licensing Policy, spanning roughly 1.83 lakh sq km across onshore, shallow-water, deepwater and ultradeepwater areas. Key features include retained exploration rights for the full contract duration, reduced offshore royalties and revenue-sharing provisions designed to incentivize early-stage development.