Category: Energy and Power

The government plans to gradually replace diesel-powered irrigation pumps with solar-powered systems across Bangladesh within the next fi ve years, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman told Parliament recently.

Replying to a supplementary question, the Prime Minister said all diesel-operated irrigation pumps would be brought under the solar program in phases as part of efforts to expand renewable energy and reduce dependence on imported fuel.

Bangladesh aims to meet at least 20% of its electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 and 30% by 2040.

The government has set targets of 5,500MW from rooftop solar, 4,500MW from ground-mounted solar and 450-550MW from other renewable sources by 2030.

Tarique also said the government was encouraging lithium battery-based energy storage and would support industries producing such batteries.

Lithium batteries could eventually be made mandatory for rooftop solar systems, he added.

The presidency of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) has outlined its priority themes and key milestones ahead of the conference in Antalya, Trkiye, emphasizing implementation, international cooperation, climate fi nance and practical solutions.

In a letter dated August 24, COP31 President-designate Murat Kurum said the COP31 Action Agenda would serve as a practical platform to strengthen partnerships, scale up solutions, mobilize fi nance and investment, and deliver tangible benefi ts for people, economies and ecosystems.

The agenda builds on the fi ve-year vision for the Global Climate Action Agenda launched at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

The presidency has identifi ed 10 priority areas: clean energy transition and electrifi cation; zero waste and methane reduction; climate-resilient cities; green industrialization; youth and education; food security; oceans and seas; climate-resilient health systems; stronger coordination on climate, biodiversity and land issues; and a Climate Implementation Bridge to help countries turn climate and development priorities into fi nance-ready projects.

Finance, technology and capacity building will serve as cross-cutting enablers across all 10 areas.

The COP31 Action Agenda also includes thematic days covering food and agriculture, energy and transport, zero waste, resilient cities, fi nance and trade, youth and education, science and technology, human and social development, and implementation.

Several major events will help build momentum toward Antalya, including the Istanbul Climate Finance Summit, Ocean and Seas Summit, UNFCCC Climate Week 4, Climate Week NYC and the Pre-COP meeting in Fiji.

The Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for November 11-12 during COP31, is expected to provide a platform for aligning national priorities, building partnerships and strengthening confi dence in multilateral climate action.

The presidency has also urged countries to submit their Biennial Transparency Reports under the Paris Agreement and their post-2030 nationally determined contributions

Bangladesh aims to generate at least 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit told Parliament recently.

He said rooftop solar is expected to contribute 5,500MW and ground-mounted solar 4,500MW, while wind, wasteto-energy, hydropower, fl oating solar and agrivoltaic projects could add another 450-550MW.

Electricity demand could reach 24,000-25,000MW by 2030 amid continued economic and industrial growth.

Under the National Renewable Energy Development Strategy 2026-2030, the government also targets 30% renewable electricity by 2040.

To encourage investment, import duties on solar panels, inverters, batteries and related equipment have been reduced to 1%, while surplus rooftop power can be sold to the grid at Tk10.50 per unit.

The climate crisis has become a continent-wide economic and security emergency for Europe, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell told the European Parliament.

Stiell said extreme heat, fl oods and droughts were already causing deaths, damaging infrastructure and businesses, disrupting trade and energy supplies, and pushing up food and insurance costs.

He cited an estimate that this summer’s climate extremes could cost Europe around pound 180 billion through lost productivity and disruptions to food, energy and transport.

He warned that Europe’s dependence on volatile fossil-fuel imports was worsening infl ation, raising energy costs and undermining economic and energy security.

Accelerating the transition to clean energy, he said, offers Europe a safer and more affordable path while creating jobs and investment opportunities.

Stiell noted that renewables now provide around half of Europe’s power and that solar energy alone saved more than pound 30 billion in avoided gas imports during the fi rst six months of the Middle East confl ict.

Globally, cleanenergy investment exceeded $2 trillion last year, about twice the level of fossil-fuel investment.

He urged the European Union to maintain its climate leadership and support vulnerable countries, while calling for stronger international cooperation ahead of COP31 in Trkiye.

Current policies put the world on track for around 2.6°C of warming, he said, well above the 1.5°C goal, but concerted action could still bring temperatures back down toward that limi

Deltamarin and Offshoretronic have unveiled the VITRUVIAN Class, a new jack-up installation vessel concept designed to handle monopile foundations weighing up to 5,000 metric tonnes for next-generation offshore wind turbines.

The companies signed an exclusive engineering agreement at SMM 2026 in Hamburg to develop the vessel to shipyard-ready status.

The design targets 20- 30 MW turbines expected to enter commercial service by around 2030 and operate in water depths of 30-60 meters.

The 179-meter-long, 75-meterwide vessel will be capable of handling monopiles up to 130 meters long and 16 meters in diameter.

The companies said the capability exceeds the typical 3,000-3,500-tonne limit of the current installation fl eet.

A Wind Turbine Installation Vessel variant is also planned to transport and install major 20-30 MW turbine components, including towers, nacelles and blades.

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.