Category: Energy and Power

An inception workshop on the research project titled ‘Strengthening Advanced Education and Research on Farming System Dynamism and Climate Resilience Towards Sustainable and Improved Farm Productivity’ was held at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) on 11 October 2025. Department of Agronomy organized the event at conference hall of the Faculty of Agriculture, under the Academic Transformation Fund (ATF) of the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project, supported by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh.

BAU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr.

A.K. Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan attended the workshop as chief guest, which was chaired by Prof. Dr.

Ahmed Khairul Hasan, head, Department of Agronomy. Dr. Dia Sanou, deputy FAO representative in Bangladesh; Prof. Dr. G.M. Mujibar Rahman, dean, Faculty of Agriculture; and Prof. Dr. Mohammad Musharraf Uddin Bhuiyan, director, planning and development and head, ATF Secretariat, were present as special guests.

EU leaders launched a final sprint recently to agree on a 10-year target to cut carbon emissions ahead of a key UN climate conference, laying out conditions including leaving the door open to future revisions.

The heads of the European Union’s 27 states held talks in Brussels to chart a way forward between competing goals: to support the bloc’s ailing businesses including its cherished car industry, and to play a lead role in the climate fight.

The gathering came with the EU under pressure to agree on their next big emissions target ahead of the United Nations COP30 climate summit which starts in Brazil on November 10. No final decision was reached – and none was expected – but the discussions should provide fodder for a deal within two weeks. ‘We reaffirmed our commitment to the Paris Agreement and also agreed that we need to be pragmatic and flexible in our strategy,’ European Council President Antonio Costa told a press conference, referring to a 2015 UN climate deal.

The meeting, paired with an earlier letter to leaders by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen outlining planned reforms, ‘helped create the right conditions’ for a 2040 EU target to be agreed on, Costa added.

The promise of limiting global warming to 1.5°C once united the nations from across the world under a common cause.

Today, it stands as a symbol of global paralysis. Wars, trade rivalries, and political posturing have pushed climate action to the margins.

As the world gathers in Belém for COP30, the gap between rhetoric and reality has never been wider. Developed nations are investing billions in military buildup and fossil fuel subsidies, while financing for climate adaptation and clean energy remains trapped in negotiations.

The Global South, already suffering from floods, droughts, and rising seas, continues to wait for commitments that never materialize. Despite ambitious pledges under the Paris Agreement, major emitters like the United States, China, and the European Union have yet to submit updated targets-signaling how easily politics can overshadow science.

The 1.5°C goal was never just a number; it was a lifeline. Missing it means crossing into a world of irreversible damage, where adaptation will be costly and survival uneven. Yet, the world seems content to treat it as a diplomatic slogan rather than an existential threshold. Keeping the 1.5°C goal alive now depends less on technology and more on political courage. Leaders must confront the uncomfortable truth: every delay deepens inequality and raises the price of inaction. COP30 offers another chance-not to talk about ambition, but to act on it.

The world cannot afford for the politics behind 1.5°C to keep defining its fate.

Putting emphasis on launching a new kind of business- social business, business without personal profit, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus recently said that building a world with ‘three-zeros’ is not a dream but a necessity to save the world. ‘Ultimate objective is to create a ‘Three-Zero World’: A World with Zero Wealth Concentration to end Poverty, Zero Unemployment, by replacing it with entrepreneurship for all and Zero Net Carbon.

This is not a dream.

It is a necessity, the only way to save the world,’ he said.

The Chief Adviser made the remarks while presenting a keynote speech at the grand opening of the World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event 2025 at Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, Italy, this afternoon (Rome Time).

At the event, the Chief Adviser placed six proposals calling for a complete transformation of the global food and economic systems to end hunger, saying that hunger is caused by the failure of the existing economic framework.

The Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs has recommended for approving two major proposals in principle including the import of refined fuel oil through a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement for the 2026 calendar year and the procurement of e-passport materials under the Home Ministry.

The approvals came from the 34th meeting of the Economic Affairs committee in this year held recently chaired virtually by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed. Under the first proposal, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division sought policy approval for the purchase and import of refined fuel oil under the direct purchase method through G2G arrangements for the period of January to December 2026.

After reviewing the submission, the committee recommended the proposal in principle recognizing the importance of ensuring a stable supply of fuel oil to meet the country’s energy demands.

V i e t n a m e s e Minister of Industry and Trade Nguy?n H?ng Diên and S i n g a p o r e a n Minister-inCharge of Energy, and Science and Technology in the Ministry of Trade and Industry Tan See Leng have agreed to continue close coordination in implementing key areas of cooperation, particularly in energy, industry, trade, and science and technology.

The two ministers held talks in Hà N?i on October 10 as part of Tan’s trip to attend the 19th Vi?t Nam-Singapore Connectivity Ministerial Meeting.

They noted that bilateral economic and trade relations have continued to develop substantively and comprehensively, forming a key pillar of the Vi?t Nam-Singapore bilateral relationship.

A major focus of the meeting was the proposed renewable energy export project from Vietnam to Singapore.

Both sides discussed options for direct transmission between the two countries as well as indirect connections through a third country. Diên underlined the project’s strategic significance, not only for the bilateral ties but also for the formation of an integrated ASEAN power grid.

Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan recently said the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) must be kept under control to tackle the country’s short-term energy crisis, stressing that consumers will not benefit properly unless the price of a 12kg LPG cylinder comes down below Tk 1,000.

Speaking at a policy conclave titled ‘LPG in Bangladesh: Economy, Environment and Safety’ held at a city hotel, the adviser said the current market price of a 12kg cylinder – over Tk 1,200 – is depriving both industrial and household users of fair benefits.

Expressing frustration, he said, ‘Traders are selling LPG cylinders worth Tk 1,200 at Tk 1,400 – they must take responsibility for this. Reckless business practices cannot continue.’ He warned that mobile courts would be deployed to curb overpricing in the LPG market.

The adviser accused a section of politicians and their business allies of deliberately creating an artificial energy crisis.

Summit Power reported a whopping 88 per cent yearon-year decline in profit to Tk 0.41 billion in FY25 due to the shutdown of nearly half of its plants and an impairment loss of Tk 1.52 billion shown in its financial statements.

As the government has shifted its power policy towards renewable energy and has become increasingly cautious about purchasing electricity from private producers to cut costs, companies like Summit Power are taking a major hit.

Around 77 per cent of Summit’s plants run on heavy fuel oil (HFO), making them vulnerable to falling demand from the government.

Summit Power’s earnings plunged to Tk 0.38 per share in FY25 from Tk 3.13 per share the year before.

The scheduled trial run of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s first unit in December 2025 is now unlikely, while it is also uncertain whether the second unit can begin production as planned in December 2026, according to the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED). Despite the revised schedule, neither unit is expected to begin electricity generation within the planned timeline, according to the IMED’s report based on its findings from the project office.

The report also notes that the project office could not provide any information on when electricity generation for the units might actually begin.

They also failed to provide a list of unfinished tasks.

The IMED has advised the project director to prepare a time-bound action plan in coordination with the Russian contractor, Atomstroyexport, covering manpower deployment and procurement schedules.

According to the LevelTen Energy Q3 2025 North America PPA Price Index Report, P25 solar PPA prices increased by 4% quarter over quarter, driven largely by President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Act and Treasury guidance on tax credit qualification. Prices are also being driven up by tariffs that have taken effect on metals such as steel, copper and aluminum.

In the report, LevelTen states that in response to these policy shifts, developers ‘are working hard to safe harbor as many projects as possible – helping bolster tax-credit-eligible project supply for buyers’.

In terms of wind, a similar trend is visible. P25 wind prices rose by nearly 5% in Q3, and show a 14% rise year over year.

Again, LevelTen highlights the impact of policy headwinds, such as shifts in federal review and approval processes and the revoking of project approvals granted under the previous administration. Prices are going up and wind developers require prospective buyers to be open to risk-sharing.