Category: Energy and Power

The Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase (ACCGP) recently recommended approval of a proposal for repair works at the Bibiyana South 400 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant under the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed presided over the meeting held at the Secretariat. According to the Power Division’s proposal, the repair works will cost Tk901.85 crore.

the contract will be implemented by the consortium of Siemens Energy Global GmbH and Co KG, Germany, and Siemens Energy Bangladesh Limited.

the Power Division is the sponsoring ministry, while BPDB will execute the project. The Bibiyana South 400 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant is a gas-fired power project in Sylhet, Bangladesh, that commenced commercial operation in 2023.

it is also referred to as the BibiyanaIII project and was developed by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).

the project is designed to operate as a combined-cycle power plant using natural gas as its fuel source.

A fire has broken out at the main power grid station in Satkhira Sadar Upazila recently, plunging the entire district into a three-hour blackout.

the incident occurred when a transformer at the 132/33 kV power grid station in Binapota area exploded, according to Russell Islam, the official in charge of the Satkhira grid line. The Fire Service said the flames suddenly erupted following the explosion of a transformer. Two firefighting units rushed to the scene and managed to bring the fire under control after about an hour. No casualties were reported. Nurul Islam, a warehouse inspector with the Satkhira Fire Service, said preliminary assessments suggested the fire may have been triggered by overheating of the transformer or an electrical short circuit.

The government is planning to award around a dozen solar-based power-plant projects as it has received lower tariff rates in tenders compared to all such previous facilities. ‘We got better tariff rates in the tenders and are expecting to award those as soon as possible,’ Adviser for the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Fouzul Kabir Khan said recently. He said the tenders to implement solar power plants across the country were floated to cut prices from the previous ones. ‘These plants will help ease the growing dependency on fossil fuels to generate electricity,’ said Mr Khan, adding, ‘They would also help diversify the country’s energy sources.’ ‘Solar-based projects are now our priority,’ he added.

after taking office, the interim government held up around three dozen solar projects which were initiated during the previous Awami League regime and awaited the final nod from the authorities.

People refresh themselves in the cool water of a fountain in front of the Cathedral at the Lustgarten park on Museum Island in Berlin on July 2, 2025, as temperatures were predicted to reach up to 37 degrees Celsius. Scientists estimated that rising temperatures from humancaused climate change were responsible for roughly 16,500 deaths in European cities this summer, using modelling to project the toll before official data is released.

the rapidly-produced study is the latest effort by climate and health researchers to quickly link the death toll during heatwaves to global warming — without waiting months or years to be published in a peerreviewed journal.

the estimated deaths were not actually recorded in the European cities, but instead were a projection based on methods such as modelling used in previously peerreviewed studies. Death tolls during heatwaves are thought to be vastly underestimated because the causes of death recorded in hospitals are normally heart, breathing, or other health problems that particularly affect the elderly when the mercury soars.

H a n w h a Ocean has commissioned ABB to provide an electric power and propulsion package for Singapore’s first floating storage and regasification unit.

the vessel, with a storage capacity of 200,000 cu m of LNG, is due to be delivered to owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in 2027 for a long-term charter by Singapore LNG Corp.

it will be moored at Jurong Port and connected to the nation’s gas network in 2030, under MOL’s management. ABB’s integrated electrical system, the company said in a news release of September 16, will comprise a mediumvoltage generator, 6.6-kV switchboards for cargo and regasification, and a motor, transformer and drive for propulsion.

in addition, the company will supply a remote control and remote diagnostics system a power protection system.

New oil and gas projects may be necessary to maintain current production levels, the IEA said recently, as it is in a public feud with the Trump administration over its forecasts for lower demand.

the International Energy Agency said in a report that its analysis of 15,000 oil and gas fields showed that output was declining more rapidly than in the past, which has ‘implications for markets and energy security’.

the Paris-based agency produces annual reports about energy trends and has forecasted that oil demand will peak by the end of the decade, which would have considerable implications for investment in further oil production. The forecast, along with its implications for pledges by some governments to reach carbon neutrality, has drawn ire from the oil and gas industry.

the agency has also faced criticism over the past months from the administration of US President Donald Trump, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright threatening in July to pull out of the IEA if it did not reform how it operates.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has reported consistent monthly profits since the introduction of the automatic fuel pricing formula in March 2024, driven by regular price adjustments and margins on petrol, octane, and diesel sales. State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has been making profits every month since the introduction of the automatic fuel pricing formula last year. ‘We are making a profit as petroleum products are being sold at higher rates than the cost prices,’ said a senior official at BPC. He said the corporation has been consistently profitable since March 2024, when the government first introduced the automated pricing system. BPC currently earns up to 2.0 per cent profit on diesel sales and as much as 10 per cent on octane and petrol sales. Benefiting from regular adjustments under the new mechanism, BPC recorded profits of around Tk 20.50 billion in the fiscal year 202425, according to Ministry of Finance data.

Bangladesh has updated its net metering framework for solar.

the new rules aim to expand access and raise self-consumption among prosumers.

the government of Bangladesh has approved new net metering guidelines for 2025 to support rooftop solar and allow every power user to become a power producer. ‘This progressive policy makes rooftop solar easier, smarter, and more rewarding for households and businesses,’ the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) said in a notification. Under the new guidelines, 100% of the sanctioned load is now allowed for net-metered rooftop solar, compared with 70% in the past. The sanctioned load is the maximum amount of power that an electricity provider authorizes a consumer to use at any given time.

the new provisions encourage PV system owners to increase self-consumption levels.

the guidelines also allow singlephase consumers to produce power under net metering.

under the previous rules, only three-phase consumers were eligible. Producers under net metering will receive direct payment in Bangladeshi taka into their bank or mobile banking accounts for electricity supplied to the grid.

the new framework also introduces an online application system for net metering and authorizes consumers with prepaid or smart meters to participate in the scheme.

in the past, this was limited to consumers with postpaid meters.

Kazakhstan has launched a National Project to modernize its energy and utility sectors for the period 2025-2029, with planned investments of 13 trillion tenge (over $24 billion).

the initiative aims to upgrade existing infrastructure and construct new power generation, transmission, and water supply systems. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev announced the preliminary cost estimate during the ‘National Project for the Modernization of the Energy and Utility Sectors: Opportunities for Kazakh Business’ conference. According to Bozumbayev, the funds will support the repair and construction of 86,000 kilometers of utility networks and add 7.3 GW in new generation capacity. ‘Today, we have established the necessary regulatory framework to ensure long-term and affordable financing from financial institutions. We have now moved to the practical stage of the National Project.

this year, pilot investments of around 144 billion tenge ($266 million) have been raised for 48 natural monopoly entities,’ Bozumbayev stated. Financing will be sourced both domestically and internationally. The Kazakhstan Housing Company has already purchased bonds worth 22.5 billion tenge ($41 million) from local administrations in the Karaganda, Pavlodar, West Kazakhstan, and North Kazakhstan regions. The Development Bank of Kazakhstan is also finalizing assessments for selected projects.

Geoteric will supply its AI software to help PETRONAS Carigali firm up new exploration prospects, with the duo also planning to collaborate on new AI-based technology developments. Geoteric, a developer of AIdriven software, has signed an agreement to strengthen its partnership with PETRONAS Carigali.

it would involve use of AI to identify new hydrocarbon prospects more quickly increase the company’s drilling success rate and speed up its exploration activities in general. Geoteric claims that its service for integration into existing geoscience workflow, has helped deliver reductions in cycle times of up to 90%, helping geoscientists take faster, better informed decisions, and ultimately providing quicker payback on seismic data investments.