Category: Energy and Power

Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), in partnership with SME Foundation, organized a Focused Group Discussion (FGD) titled ‘Unlocking CMSME Potential: Bridging the Gaps.’ The session brought together entrepreneurs, financial institutions, regulators, and development partners to deliberate on the challenges and solutions for Bangladesh’s cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs). Welcoming the participants, IDCOL CEO Alamgir Morshed stressed that CMSMEs contribute 25 percent of GDP and employ more than 34 million people, yet face a financing gap of over USD 73 billion (approximately BDT 9 lakh crore), constraining their potential. ‘CMSMEs are the backbone of our economy and crucial for resilience and job creation,’ Mr. Morshed remarked. ‘IDCOL has been working for over two decades to promote sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and inclusive finance. Building on this track record, we now want to ensure that CMSMEs also benefit from affordable credit, capacity building, and stronger market linkages.’ The consultation was attended by entrepreneurs, banks, NBFIs, MFIs, PKSF, Bangladesh Bank, SME Foundation, the Ministry of Industries, the Microcredit Regulatory Authority, BSCIC, and development partners, who shared their perspectives on the way forward.

The African Union has announced plans to form a coalition of mineral-producing nations to manage the global rush for critical minerals after holding a climate summit. Africa holds vast mineral wealth – from the rare earths in conflict-hit Democratic Republic of Congo to oil-rich Nigeria – but has struggled to capitalize on its resources after decades of colonial plunder, and subsequent mismanagement and corruption.

the 54-nation African Union met this week for a climate summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

in a statement published recently, it said it would ‘explore and support the establishment of a coalition of critical mineral-producing countries of Africa to promote strategic and sustainable regional cooperation’. Labelling the move ‘Africa’s Green Minerals Strategy’, the AU said it would be a ‘vehicle for harnessing Africa’s vast mineral wealth for climateresilient development’.

the move comes as Washington looks to secure a supply of strategic minerals from the DR Congo, in an attempt to challenge China’s near-monopoly on the lucrative sector.

uN head Antonio Guterres said in August that Africa could become a ‘renewable superpower’ as it taps the raw materials needed for green technology around the world.

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.

Vertical solar specialist Over Easy Solar has broke its own record for the world’s largest rooftop vertical solar array with a 320 kW system in the north Norwegian city of Tromsø. Norwegian startup Over Easy Solar has deployed what it claims to be the world’s largest rooftop installation of vertical solar panels in Tromsø, northern Norway.

the 320 kW solar array features 6,400 vertical solar panels installed on the top of the logistics terminal Tromsøterminalen.

it was mounted by three people in four days, according to the company.

over Easy Solar says vertical solar panels are beneficial in northern latitudes such as Tromsø, which is located within the Arctic Circle, as they capture more energy from the low-angle sunlight common in the north, can generate more electricity in the morning and afternoon, and stay clear of snow accumulation, helping to improve year-round performance. ‘Vertical solar panels are very well suited for northern latitudes and snowy regions, so we hope this becomes a model project for others who want to invest in sustainable power production from flat rooftops in the north,’ commented Over Easy Solar CEO Trygve Mongstad. ‘As far as I know, this is now the city’s largest solar system, and the world’s largest vertical rooftop installation.’

Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) has urged the government to convert Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s (BPC) Tk 274.20 billion worth of outstanding debt into subsidies.

The state-run BPC owes such accumulated debt to the government on account of its losses because of selling petroleum products at lowerthan-procurement prices.

The EMRD in a recent letter sought the Finance Ministry’s necessary steps in this connection, according to officials. When contacted, a senior BPC official said, “EMR division has already made an appeal to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for taking necessary steps so that the BPC gets rid of its debt burden.” Officials at the MoF said they will scrutinize the EMRD’s plea for converting the BPC’s outstanding debts into subsidy.

They, however, said it will take some time to make a decision on the issue.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan has said Bangladesh is facing a severe gas crisis due to dwindling domestic gas reserves and has planned to import an increased amount of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). “To mitigate the persistent gas shortage, the government will import more LNG cargoes than last year. Last year, we imported 84 LNG cargoes, but this year we will bring 20 additional cargoes, taking the number to 104 to give relief to the industry and other sectors,” he said on 27 August.

He was addressing a webinar titled “4th State of Investment ClimateBangladesh”, organized by Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida).

Bida Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun moderated the program.

Acknowledging the 1,000 mmcf daily gas shortage, the energy adviser said the previous government didn’t take any initiatives to explore local gas sources.

Rooppur nuclear power plant is a prestigious project of Bangladesh, which has become a member of the elite club of nuclear electricity producers.

The plant is situated at Ishwardi in the district of Pabna, on the river Padma, which flows lean in the dry season and is full and turbulent in the Monsoon.

The plant consists of two units, each with a 1,200 MW Russian reactor model VVER-1200, for a total capacity of 2,400 MW.

Both units are under construction, and one of them has started pre-commissioning tests.

It is a turnkey project under Russian credit, and ROSATOM, a state-owned company of Russia, is taking care of the design, supply, installation, and commissioning.

The VVER-1200 model has been designed for cold countries like Russia, where cooling water below 20°C is naturally available at sea, lakes, and rivers.

The nominal capacity of 1,200 MW is based on cold weather conditions.

Bangladesh is a hot country, and so the capacity will be reduced.

Effect of hot weather in Bangladesh The ambient temperature in Ishwardi reaches 40°C during the peak summer.

The river water temperature also becomes very hot.

The cooling water temperature after evaporative cooling in cooling towers will be 32°C, and that at the condenser inlet will be 33°C, which is 15°C higher than the design temperature of 18°C.

As a result, the turbine will miss the output involved in this 15-degree range.

The plant will not be able to reach the nominal capacity.

A research paper states that capacity will decrease by 0.444% for a 1-degree increase in water temperature.

Thus, for hot weather, each unit of the Rooppur power plant will be de-rated by about 80 MW.

Borrowing of electricity from the national grid Unlike conventional nuclear power plants, the VVER-1200 cannot drive its auxiliaries by bleeding its own steam.

It has to borrow electricity from an external source.

There are huge water pumps and powerful motor-driven valves in the primary and secondary loops.

Additionally, the circuit contains numerous control unit assembly drives, ventilation units, and pumps, all of which require electrical power.

To run auxiliary drives, the plant will draw 120 MW from the grid, and the generated power will be adjusted accordingly. Power required for electric preheaters There are many pre-heaters in water and steam circuits.

They are all electric heaters instead of their own steam-heated heaters.

They will require huge amounts of electrical power, which will also come from an external source.

The power requirement will be around 10 MW. Power required by the fans of cooling towers The Rooppur power plant will utilize forced draft cooling towers to enhance evaporative cooling, producing cold water for the steam condenser.

Highpower draft fans are installed around the perimeter of the towers at the base.

The fans are an additional requirement for a plant in a cold country.

The fans will require approximately 12 MW of electrical power (0.1% of the nominal capacity), which the national grid will also supply.

Summation Rooppur power plant with a total capacity of 2,400 MW will be de-rated to about 1,960 MW (for hot weather, 160 MW, and for refund of borrowed electricity, 280 MW).

It will not be a surprise if the plant’s average output drops to 1,500 MW.

The situation will be a disappointment as the original levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) will no longer be valid.

The cost recovery plan of the project will be in jeopardy. Conclusion The VVER-1200, a high-capacity plant, faces a substantial reduction in capacity and is not cost-effective for Bangladesh.

Smaller plants, with a nominal capacity of around 500 MW that reject steam at temperatures above 50°C, will be a better choice for Bangladesh’s future expansion program, if any.

In that case, the steam can be condensed using naturally available water from a river or sea.

The plants shall be able to bleed steam to power the auxiliary drives, rather than relying on an external source for power.

Awoman and her daughter died after being electrocuted after a live wire of a water pump came in contact with the floodwater in front of their house in Fatullah upazila of Narayanganj recently, police said.

The victims are Rokhsana Parvin, 50, of Sheharchar, and her daughter Lamia Akhter, 24.

The incident took place in the Sheharchar area, said Fatullah Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shariful Islam.

Family members said Lamia was a third-year student of Narayanganj’s Government Tolaram College.

Sub-Inspector Kazi Abul Bashar of Fatullah Police Station said waterlogging is a common problem in the area during the rainy season.

The family had installed an electric pump to drain the floodwater.

Bangladesh’s first nuclear power facility at Rooppur has demonstrated a strong commitment to operational safety, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) review team that concluded its mission on 27 August.

The Pre-Operational Safety Review Team (Pre-OSART) visit, conducted at Dhaka’s request, assessed Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) ahead of its commercial launch, the IAEA said in a statement.

Such missions benchmark nuclear facilities against global safety standards before they begin loading fuel. Located in Pabna on the banks of the Padma River, the twinunit plant will add 2,400 MW(e) to Bangladesh’s grid once both Russian-built VVER1200 reactors are operational.

Unit 1 construction began in 2017, followed by Unit 2 in 2018.

At the initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Department of Environment (DoE) recently conducted mobile court operations simultaneously across the country to control noise and air pollution.

Significant fines have been collected, hydraulic horns seized, and legal action taken against violators in operations conducted in various districts, including Dhaka, Kurigram, Keraniganj, and Nilphamari.

In a mobile court operation in the Aminbazar area of Savar, nine vehicles were inspected.

Five of these vehicles were fined a total of Tk 18,000, and nine horns were seized.

In another operation targeting black smoke emissions in the Kuril Biswa Road Khilkhet area of Dhaka, conducted in cooperation with BRT, a total of Tk 10,000 in fines was collected from five cases under the Environmental Protection Act, 1995 (amended 2010).

A vehicle belonging to Victor Classic Paribahan was sent to a dumping ground for repeating the same offense despite being warned previously.

The DoE has stated that these types of mobile court operations to control noise and air pollution will continue regularly across the country.