Category: Energy and Power

The major barrier to renewable energy expansion is the people in the power and energy sector themselves, said Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, power, energy and mineral resources adviser. Many government officials in the sector have engaged with businesses and would lose their transactional benefits if a transparent and competitive system is introduced, he said. ‘We are trying to transition from such a system and it is not being liked by most of them.

they want to continue the previous system of dealings, negotiations and under-the-table transactions,’ he said at the closing ceremony of Bangladesh Energy Conference 2025 recently.

the adviser said they also want to get rid of fossil fuel usage but their dependence is by compulsion and not by choice. ‘If we had the opportunity, we would stop purchasing LNG (liquified natural gas) and would shut down the coalbased power plants,’ he added.

the conference has announced a 22-point Dhaka Declaration towards Net Zero carbon emission and a 13-point Citizen Manifesto. Hasan Mehedi, member secretary of the Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development, read out the Dhaka Declaration.

The UN recently unveiled its largestever scientific assessment on the dire state of the environment, but a crucial summary of its findings was torpedoed as nations feuded over fossil fuels.

the dispute over the Global Environment Outlook echoes a growing trend in consensusbased negotiations where oil-producing countries in particular are frustrating efforts to address pollution from fossil fuels and plastic.

the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said it was the first time that countries had failed to produce a politicallynegotiated summary of the mammoth report, which is published roughly every five years and involves hundreds of scientists. Since first being published in 1997, UNEP’s flagship outlook reports have been accompanied by a summary for policymakers: a political statement, negotiated line by line, that distils the science into plain language for governments.

under United Nations rules, this can only be approved by consensus as it serves as a collective understanding of the latest science in a way policy leaders can act upon. But at a five-day meeting in late October to approve the summary, sharp divisions over the text made consensus impossible.

Bangladesh’s i n d e p e n d e n t p o w e r producers (IPPs) are struggling with prolonged g o v e r n m e n t payment delays, which they say are disrupting their fuel p r o c u r e m e n t and financial obligations, and warn that such disruptions could hamper the sector’s power supply reliability.

according to officials from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and IPPs, the BPDB now owes more than Tk27,000 crore to over 70 local and foreign IPPs, with nearly Tk17,000 crore owed to local producers and the rest to foreign-backed ventures. IPP owners said payments are currently delayed by up to 6-7 months beyond the due dates, creating severe liquidity pressures across the sector. Several private power producers have already written to the BPDB chairman, cautioning that prolonged delays threaten the entire sector’s sustainability.

Bangladesh has so far received US$17.34 billion in 106 projects from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), including nearly $6.0 billion for 36 gas-focused schemes that collectively support 3,659MW generation capacity, a new study has revealed. Civil society groups say this long-standing reliance on fossil fuel lending is now undermining the country’s energy security and climate resilience.

the report titled ‘MDBs in the Energy Sector of Bangladesh’ shows that ADB’s gasrelated financing has been overwhelmingly loan-driven, with 60 per cent coming from its Technical Assistance Special Fund and 36 per cent from high-interest Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR). Only 4 per cent, totaling $2.59 million, was provided through concessional Asian Development Fund support. Presented at the Bangladesh Energy Conference recently, the study argues that this financing pattern has contributed to mounting debt, stranded capacity and avoidable emissions. Campaigners warn that ADB’s fossil-heavy strategy has increased Bangladesh’s exposure to fuel shortages, costly capacity payments and high-risk energy infrastructure at a time when global investment is shifting rapidly towards cleaner, cheaper and more resilient alternatives.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan recently called for an engineering education system that meets international accreditation standards while remaining socially and environmentally responsible. She made the remarks while addressing the 4th International Symposium on ‘Quality Assurance in Engineering Education through Accreditation’ held at Hotel InterContinental Dhaka. Rizwana said real quality in engineering must reflect environmental justice, social equity and climate resilience, particularly in cities like Dhaka, where earthquake risks, river erosion and flooding threaten vulnerable communities. She said while many engineering interventions aim to protect people and property, they must consider long-term environmental impacts, community needs and sustainability

Bangladesh is set to take another significant stride in scaling up renewable energy generation as the government has cleared a major project proposal for the construction of a 220-megawatt (mw) solar power plant at Sonagazi in Feni. The project was placed before a recent meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) and subsequently it was approved. The initiative, at an estimated cost of Taka 1,888.10 crore, marks a key milestone in the government’s broader transition towards clean, sustainable, and climate-resilient power generation.

the project, titled ‘Construction of Sonagazi 220 MW Solar Power Plant,’ will be implemented by the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh Ltd. (EGCB) under the Power Division. It aims to expand renewable energy capacity and reduce the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Chevron Corp. has announced what it describes as an ‘organic’ capital expenditure range of $18 to $19 billion for consolidated subsidiaries (capex) for 2026, at the lowend of the long-term guidance range of $18 to $21 billion.

total US spend is anticipated to be about $10.5 billion, more than half of the 2026 capex budget. Upstream is expected to be approximately $17.0 billion. Nearly $6.0 billion is expected for US shale and tight assets that include Permian, DJ and Bakken, underpinning anticipated US production of more than two million barrels of oil equivalent per day. Global offshore capex is expected to be approximately $7.0 billion, primarily supporting growth in Guyana, Eastern Mediterranean and what the company describes as ‘the Gulf of America.’ Included in upstream spend is about $0.4 billion in capitalized interest, primarily related to Guyana assets.

Mobile courts had disconnected a large number of illegal gas lines during drives in the Madanpur area under Bandar recently, imposing fines and jail terms on offenders.

according to a press release, evidence of illegal gas use and unauthorised extension of commercial connections was found during the raids.

a total of 180 feet of illegal pipeline was removed, including 80 feet of 3/4-inch MS pipe and 100 feet of 3/4-inch hose pipe.

the drives also disconnected 13 star burners, one doubleburner stove, eight singleburner stoves, four modified burners and one booster, with a combined connected load of 600 cubic feet per hour. Mobile courts collected Tk 1,10,000 in fines.

Energypac Power Generation PLC, one of the country’s leading power engineering companies, recently organized an insightful and forward-looking seminar, ‘AI for Business Excellence’, in collaboration with NetCom Learning Global Ltd, focusing on the prospects and practice of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in business excellence. The seminar was designed to highlight intelligent technologies that enhance operational efficiency for business, support quick decision-making, and expedite long-term business growth. Fahmidul Alam, an expert in business development and technology integration, discussed AI basics and practical applications to the attendees. He also talked about upcoming trends, opportunities, and real-world business case studies during the whole seminar.

The Trump administration is vying to roll back Bidenera limits on one of the most widespread deadly air pollutants, asking a court to vacate the standard. The Environmental Protection Agency in 2024 had strengthened limits on fine particulate matter, including soot, which can lead to health problems including strokes, heart attacks and asthma attacks. But recently the EPA, now under Trump leadership, filed a motion moving to drop defense of the rule in a DC appeals court, saying that Joe Biden’s White House had failed to follow necessary procedures to institute it. The EPA under former president Biden had said the stronger standard would ‘undoubtedly save lives.’ Exposure to the particles disproportionately impacts US communities of color.

industry petitioners and a coalition of states sued Biden’s EPA over the matter, saying the new standards would burden manufacturers and that compliance was too expensive.