Category: Energy and Power

QatarEnergy has extended its force majeure on liquefi ed natural gas (LNG) deliveries to Bangladesh, Pakistan and Italy amid continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The reported extension means LNG supplies to Bangladesh will remain suspended beyond September, while cargo cancellations for Pakistani buyers will continue into October.

However, Petrobangla Director Md Shoyeb said the state-owned company had not received any notifi cation from QatarEnergy regarding an extension.

QatarEnergy fi rst declared force majeure in March following disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after the outbreak of the US-Iran war.

Missile attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan facilities also disrupted LNG production and exports.

QatarEnergy is Bangladesh’s largest supplier of imported LNG under a 15-year long-term contract.

The reported extension comes as Bangladesh continues to face a gas shortage affecting power generation and industrial production.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change State Minister Sheikh Faridul Islam has called for coordinated efforts to turn tree planting into a sustainable social movement.

He made the remarks while chairing the third meeting of the support taskforce of the National Tree Plantation Cell formed to implement the government’s ‘250 million trees in fi ve years’ programme at the ministry’s meeting room at the Bangladesh Secretariat on September 7.

The state minister said tree planting is crucial to tackling climate change, conserving biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance.

He stressed that the focus should not only be on the number of saplings planted but also on their protection, maintenance and survival.

The meeting was informed that 51.49 million saplings are planned to be planted and maintained in 2026, including around 38.2 million produced by the relevant agencies and 13.3 million procured using their own funds.

NGOs have separately planted around 2.5 million saplings, according to the NGO Affairs Bureau.

Fresh LP Gas, a concern of Meghna Group of Industries (MGI), has added a 2,000-metrictonne LPG carrier to its fl eet to strengthen transportation capacity and ensure reliable supplies across Bangladesh.

The new vessel, MT Mercantile-65, brings the company’s dedicated LPG carrier fl eet to three, with a combined capacity of 6,000 metric tonnes.

The vessels will transport imported LPG from the Kutubdia and Chattogram anchorages to Fresh LP Gas’s Meghnaghat and Mongla plants, supporting a more reliable supply network.

MGI Director Tanveer Mostafa said the company would continue investing in transportation and logistics to meet rising LPG demand.

Fresh LP Gas CMO Abu Sayed Raza said the expanded fl eet would help maintain yearround supply and extend LPG access to underserved areas.

Wildfi res in Trkiye’s Antalya province, which will host COP31, have intensifi ed calls for the country to demonstrate stronger climate leadership and put a fossil fuel phase out at the center of the November summit.

Climate campaign group 350.org said hundreds of people have been evacuated and thousands left without power as fi res spread across Antalya and other southern provinces.

It warned that rising temperatures and increasingly dry conditions are making wildfi res more frequent and destructive.

The group urged Trkiye, as COP31 host and co-chair, to announce a national roadmap to reduce dependence on coal, oil and gas and accelerate a just transition to renewable energy.

‘COP31 is an opportunity for Trkiye to demonstrate true leadership’ by advancing the transition away from fossil fuels, said Efe Baysal, 350.org Trkiye Manager.

He also called for a clear timeline to phase out coal and stronger action to address the causes of the climate crisis.

350.org Trkiye is campaigning for a coal exit strategy, an end to fossil fuel subsidies and greater support for community-led renewable energy, arguing that climate action must address both the impacts and underlying causes of the crisis.

The number of Bangladeshi nationals killed in a fi re at Russia’s Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) has risen to four, following the death of Mahin Uddin of Narsingdi at a Moscow hospital recently.

Mahin died while undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the August 25 fi re at the complex near Svobodny in Russia’s Far Eastern Amur Oblast, according to Mizanur Rahman, fi rst secretary (labour) at the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow.

The other Bangladeshi victims were Zakir Hossain of Kishoreganj, Md Alal Hossain Raju of Meherpur and Abdul Quddus of Rajbari.

The embassy said 36 Bangladeshis were injured in the incident, with one still receiving treatment in serious condition.

The AGCC initially reported seven deaths following the blaze but later said 14 foreign nationals had died.

The fi re reportedly started in a support section of the complex’s pyrolysis unit, while the main equi

Bangladesh’s readymade garment (RMG) sector must make renewable energy and energy sovereignty central to its long-term industrial strategy as the ongoing energy crisis, rising fuelimport dependence and unreliable supplies threaten the sector’s sustainability and competitiveness, experts said.

The call was made at the ‘Rapid Energy Transition Conference: Powering Security, Sustainability and Growth in Bangladesh RMG,’ organized by Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Bangladesh in Dhaka recently.

The event brought together 108 representatives from RMG factories, along with offi cials from BGMEA, BKMEA and BSREA, international brands, fi nancial institutions and renewable-energy companies.

ETI Bangladesh Executive Director Abil Bin Amin called for a just and collaborative energy transition, saying factories and workers should not bear the cost of meeting climate targets alone.

BKMEA Director Engr Imran Kader Turjo said Bangladesh was already late in developing renewable-energy and related infrastructure and urged rapid implementati

The government has intensifi ed efforts to boost domestic gas production through drilling and workover of 150 wells, seismic surveys and strengthening of the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX), Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood told Parliament recently.

The minister said drilling of 30 wells has already been completed, adding around 100 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of gas to the national grid.

Another 85 MMCFD is expected from seven wells currently under drilling.

The government plans to conduct 4,500 line kilometers of 2D and 4,200 square kilometers of 3D seismic surveys, while two new drilling rigs are being procured to strengthen BAPEX.

Proposals to reopen closed gas wells are also being examined, he said.

On LNG, the government has approved a proposal by China’s National Energy Engineering and Construction Co Ltd (CNEE) to install an FSRU at Kutubjom in Maheshkhali.

Bangladesh Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo has called for stronger regional cooperation in South Asia to combat the growing threat of transnational and organised wildlife crime.

Speaking at the fi rst General Assembly of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) in Kathmandu on September 10, the minister stressed the need to strengthen regional intelligence sharing, coordinated law enforcement and joint operations.

He said wildlife and ecosystems do not recognise political borders, while criminal networks are increasingly using borders, transport routes, trade channels, online platforms and fi nancial systems to conduct wildlife traffi cking.

The minister called for law enforcement agencies to go beyond wildlife seizures and arrests and identify the organisers, fi nanciers and wider criminal networks behind such crimes.

He also urged authorities to use every seizure as an opportunity to gather intelligence on the source, routes, people involved, fi nancing and intended destinations.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo held a courtesy meeting with Nepalese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari on September 6 at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed various aspects of the longstanding friendly relations between Bangladesh and Nepal, with particular emphasis on environmental protection, climate change, biodiversity conservation, sustainable management of forests and natural resources, and regional environmental cooperation.

Minister Mintoo expressed deep condolences over the recent tragic accident in Nepal and conveyed sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives.

He wished a speedy recovery for those injured and said Bangladesh stands beside the government and people of Nepal during this diffi cult time.

The minister said that although Bangladesh and Nepal face different climate-related risks, their ecosystems are closely interconnected

Extensive tree plantation is vital for protecting the environment and biodiversity, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sheikh Faridul Islam said on September 4.

He made the remarks while attending a tree plantation programme as the chief guest at Hasura Mouza in Niamatpur upazila of Naogaon district.

Under a large-scale afforestation programme, around 20,000 saplings of 15 species have been planted along a 20-kilometer strip plantation in the area.

The plantation has been carried out on both sides of canals stretching from Crossdam to land owned by Rajjak Chairman in Beltri Mouza and from land owned by Shiberswar to land owned by Palash through Hasura Mouza.

The state minister said planned afforestation should be expanded to increase the country’s green cover and maintain environmental balance.