Category: Energy and Power

The SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) organized a regional webinar titled ‘Climate Change and Fisheries in South Asia’ on Tuesday, 10 March 2026, bringing together experts from across the region to discuss the growing impact of climate change on marine and freshwater ?sheries and possible adaptation strategies.

the event featured two keynote speakers: Sevvandi Jayakody, Chair Professor in the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries at Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, and B. K. Das, Director of ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Barrackpore, India. Dr. B. K. Das explained that climate variability is increasingly affecting freshwater ?sheries, altering river ?ows and aquatic habitats. He emphasized the importance of adaptive management and sustainable use of aquatic resources to address these emerging challenges.

Thailand has suspended 4 gigawatts (GW) of gas-?red power capacity and delayed a new plant, signaling a major shift in its energy strategy amid electricity o v e r s u p p l y and tougher climate commitments.

in October, the National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) ordered the suspension of four power plants, including three gas-?red facilities totaling 4GW.

a separate 0.6GW gas plant was also delayed. The NEPC said the move was necessary due to excess electricity supply, with the delayed project now scheduled for commissioning in 2029. The suspended plants are expected to resume operations after that year.

the decision comes weeks before Thailand approved its updated nationally determined contribution (NDC) in November 2025. The revised climate plan commits the country to cutting net emissions 47% from 2019 levels by 2035 and reaching net zero by 2050.

The rig count in Canada is down 9 units to 205 working for the week Mar. 5, according to Baker Hughes data.

the weekly total is down 29 units from the 234 rigs working this time a year ago. The decline is attributable mostly to oil-directed rigs, which decreased by 6 to reach a count of 129. Gasdirected rigs in Canada fell by 4 to 65 units working.

in the US, a 1-rig increase brought the rig count to 551 for the week.

the count is down 41 units from the 592 rigs running in the US this time last year.

uS oil-directed rigs increased by 4 units to 411.

that total is down 75 units from this time in 2025. Gas-directed rigs decreased by 2 units to 132. A year ago, 101 units were drilling for gas in the US.

the number of rigs drilling on land in the US was up 1 unit to 532, which is 44 fewer than this time last year. Horizontal rigs increased by 2 units to 485. Vertical rigs were up 1 to 13.

the number of rigs drilling directionally was down 5 at 50.

unclassi?ed rigs were down 1 to 8.

Wind energy continues to strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness and energy security.

in 2025 Europe built 19 GW of new wind energy capacity. Europe also invested pound 45bn in additional wind energy projects to be built over the next years. But political considerations to reform the EU electricity market design and to renegotiate the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) threaten to undermine the progress made in 2025. Europe built 19.1 GW of new wind power capacity in 2025, bringing its total wind energy capacity to 304 GW.

that’s according to WindEurope’s Annual Statistics Report published recently.

europe is now set to build 151 GW of new wind energy over the 2026-2030 period. 112 GW of those will be in the EU. More than a third of this EU buildout will come from the ?ourishing German onshore wind market.

Leaders of six trade bodies, mainly r e p r e s e n t i n g the textile and garment sectors, recently urged the government to inform businesses about the current energy supply situation, as the ongoing con?ict in the Gulf region may further aggravate the country’s energy crisis.

in a joint letter sent to Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, minister for power, energy and mineral resources, the business leaders said many industrial units are currently operating at only 60 to 70 percent capacity due to inadequate energy supply.

if the situation does not improve, industrial production and export growth will face serious obstacles, they said, adding that the situation could negatively affect employment and the country’s overall economic growth.

Singapore has increased its 2030 solar target by 1 GW after surpassing the original 2 GW goal before the end of last year.

the 1 GW increase comes after the country surpassed the 2 GW solar threshold during 2025. According to a media release from Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA), the government will ramp up efforts to deploy solar across more surfaces, continuing to deploy on rooftops, land and water while exploring new innovations including solar on canopies at open-air car parks. More than 80% of Singapore’s current solar capacity comes from rooftop solar. Installations have been supported by several government-led incentives, such as the SolarNova program aimed at deploying solar on public buildings including public housing and the SolarRoof and SolarLand programs that target industrial rooftops and vacant land. EMA says that the payback period for home solar has reduced to as little as ?ve years, due to declining solar panel costs.

owners of solar systems in Singapore can also sell the energy generated via renewable energy certi?cates

The transaction is the latest big announcement in a hot market for US power and utilities mergers and acquisitions, as companies jostle for position in anticipation of AI-driven demand spike.

aES Corporation is being sold for $10.7 billion cash in a deal that will potentially see the world’s largest commercial and industrial clean energy supplier enter private ownership. Blackrock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners leads the consortium that is acquiring AES’s global business, which includes US electric utilities in Indiana and Ohio, plus a major global renewable generation portfolio.

the transaction comes as forecast electricity demand in the United States swells, driven by an expected ramping up of data center deployment. Analysts at Deloitte have forecast US data center demand will require 176 GW of power by 2035 and merger and acquisition activity in the power and utilities sectors appears to be heating up as a result.

This is one of various new c o n t r a c t s for Seadrill’s ?eet, with most of the others being ex te n s i o n s to existing programs.

additionally, an unnamed operator has taken the Sevan Louisiana semisubmersible on a twomonth contract, starting in March in the US Gulf. Finally, the West Elara jackup rig will provide accommodation services for Equinor offshore Norway, and then, from the third quarter onward, it will follow an agreement with the current contract holder to make the rig available.

totalEnergies also recently received authorization from the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil for permanent plug and abandonment operations on the Atla, Byggve and Skirne wells in the North Sea.

the West Elara will manage the campaign.

Escalating tensions in the Middle East could create signi?cant economic shocks for Bangladesh by raising global energy prices, increasing import costs and weakening export competitiveness, according to a new report published recently by the Policy Research Institute.

the report, titled Bangladesh Monthly Macroeconomic Insights (January-February 2026), said that geopolitical instability in the Middle East particularly the risk of disruptions in global oil supply, posed immediate and medium-term threats to Bangladesh’s fragile economic recovery. PRI said that Bangladesh was highly exposed to global energy price volatility because it relied heavily on imported fuel to meet domestic demand. The country’s total energy import bill already stands at about $12 billion annually, it said.

The US-Israel war on Iran has once again exposed the fragility of the global energy system. Within days of the con?ict, oil prices surged sharply, re?ecting how quickly geopolitical tensions in the Middle East can destabilize markets.

although prices eased slightly after initial spikes, the underlying risks remain high. For Bangladesh, the implications are serious.

the country’s heavy dependence on imported fuel leaves it highly vulnerable to external shocks. Rising oil and gas prices threaten to push up import bills at a time when the power and energy sector is already struggling with large unpaid liabilities.

even if the war does not escalate further, the economic pressure from elevated energy prices is expected to persist for months. The government has taken some immediate steps, including rationing fuel and electricity, preparing contingency plans, and seeking stronger energy cooperation with countries such as India and China.

these measures may help manage shortterm risks, but are unlikely to address the deeper structural problem: Bangladesh’s growing dependence on imported energy. Bangladesh must accelerate exploration of domestic gas resources, reconsider the role of coal in its energy mix, and expand renewable energy investments. Diversifying supply sources and strengthening regional energy cooperation should also become strategic priorities.

the global economy is already navigating multiple shocks-from post-pandemic recovery challenges to geopolitical tensions. If the Middle East con?ict evolves into a prolonged energy crisis, the economic consequences could be severe. For Bangladesh, strengthening energy security is no longer just an economic necessity; it is a national priority.