Category: Energy and Power

The first-ever plastic recycling plant in Cox’s Bazar has officially begun operation with the aim of transforming single-use plastic waste into valuable resources. Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Mohammad Navid Shafiullah inaugurated the recycling facility at Mithachhari in Ramu upazila in the district recently.

as one of the country’s top tourist destinations, Cox’s Bazar generates a massive volume of plastic waste every day. Studies show that about 34.5 tonnes of plastic waste are dumped indiscriminately each day in the town. Much of this consists of single-use plastics, polythene bags, packaging materials, polypropylene, and thin plastic films – all of which are difficult to recycle and have little or no market value.

the newly launched recycling plant will process such materials into ecofriendly, durable, and visually appealing products such as sofas, benches, and strong poles.

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed recently said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant would begin trial operations in December as the fuel for the plant has already arrived in the country. ‘We had written to Russia requesting a November launch but they have informed us it will begin in December (trial operations),’ he said while speaking to journalists at his ministry office. Dr Salehuddin, also adviser of Science and Technology, said a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has inspected the facility and made several recommendations which are now being implemented. He said the perunit price of electricity from the plant is yet to be determined.

according to an IAEA review team that concluded its mission on 27 August, Bangladesh’s first nuclear power facility at Rooppur has demonstrated a strong commitment to operational safety.

With 11 million square meters, France has the secondlargest maritime territory in the world. From this heritage, the country is considered a global leader in blue economy technology, research, and innovation in areas such as marine energies, sustainable fisheries, maritime industry, maritime security, and oceanography. For Bangladesh, these sectors hold great potential, especially since the Hague Court awarded in 2014 almost 20,000 km2 of maritime area in the Bay of Bengal. France is also championing blue diplomacy, as it hosted together with Costa Rica the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France – a successful multilateral event that contributed to securing enough signatories for the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) to come into force by 2026.

this new instrument is filling the existing gap regarding the conservation and sustainable use of resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Safeguarding the oceans, however, also demands strong public and private financing, as well as broader support for building a sustainable blue economy. Building on these elements, FranceBangladesh cooperation can be developed through increasing technical cooperation and enhancing business relations.

this dynamic was highlighted under a series of ‘Blue Talks’ organized in 2024 and 2025 by the Embassy of France in Bangladesh, which brought together key stakeholders and underscored Bangladesh’s pivotal role in unlocking the full potential of the Bay of Bengal, both in terms of exploration and the sustainable use of its coastal and marine resources. From this perspective, various subsectors stand out as particularly promising for cooperation, such as: Marine Energies: Marine renewable energies are still an untapped source of energy in order to meet the target of 30% power generation from renewable energies by 2040, in a context where land scarcity is a major obstacle to solar parks. France has made significant progress in developing nearshore and offshore wind farms as well as tidal energy, andpossesses the expertise to support Bangladesh in this domain.

the French company SABELLA is present in the Philippines to harness the tidal stream resource for a potential of 500 MW, while ENGIE is involved in wind farms in India with more than 300MW and has a strong expertise in offshore wind.

in this sector, financial tools from the French Ministry of Economy and Finance could be mobilized by the public sector. Sustainable Fisheries: Bangladesh is the 25th largest producer of marine fish, but has the potential to expand the production and eye exports if deep-sea fishing is developed. CLS Group, a subsidiary of the French Space Agency CNES, is already working with the Department of Fisheries to set up a Fishery Monitoring Center, but could expand further to help build a sustainable fisheries management plan and provide equipment to fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

the improvement of weather forecasts will also be key to allowing fishermen to explore further from the shore, and the expertise of the French state-owned Meteo France could be an asset for the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Maritime Industry: With its central location within the Indo-Pacific region, Bangladesh will play a more and more pivotal role in the shipping industry. French investors could have an interest in building new capacities for ports in Chittagong, Mongla, and Payra. France has an old tradition of shipbuilding that could also be an area for cooperation under a joint venture.

on the other side, Bangladesh is a leader in the shipbreaking industry and is currently greening its industry to match the Hong Kong convention requirements, a move that can benefit from French know-how. Maritime Security: In order to monitor the 20.000 km2 of maritime area, new equipment and technologies will be required.

this includes extension of the Bangladesh Navy for which Naval Group is keen to provide new vessels and improvement of the satellite surveillance, such as through the offer from Airbus Defence and Space for an earth-observation satellite system under the Bangladesh Satellite-2 project. Oceanography: With Bangladesh, France has developed close relationships in the field of oceanography and hydrography, for instance, through scientific cooperation with the oceanographic departments of Dhaka University and BUET, awarding scholarships in French research institutes like IFREMER.

an expert financed through the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is, in parallel, w o r k i n g at Dhaka U n i v e r s i t y to transfer knowledge and train a skilled workforce in Bangladesh in the field of marine sciences.

as Bangladesh aspires to become a strong and prosperous economy by the next decade, harnessing the potential of the blue economy will undoubtedly play a key role in driving this ambition, an area where closer collaboration with France could unlock new avenues of growth and innovation

Bangladesh is preparing to significantly ramp up its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from long-term suppliers next year, aiming to reduce dependence on costly and uncertain spot market purchases.

imports under long-term sales and purchase agreements (SPAs) are set to rise by more than 53 per cent in 2026, reaching 86 cargoes compared with 56 this year, according to officials.

the state-run Petrobangla expects the increased volumes to come from newly signed SPAs with QatarEnergy, Oman’s OQ Trading, and US-based Excelerate Energy, alongside its existing arrangements. At the same time, spot market purchases are projected to fall by over 38 per cent, easing exposure to volatile prices.

the additional cargoes will come from the new suppliers that signed sales and purchase agreements (SPAs) with staterun Petrobangla in 2023.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has received dramatically lower tariff offers for its ambitious nationwide solar power projects, a development that not only signals a new era for the country’s renewable energy sector but also promises substantial savings on electricity generation costs.

the average tariff quoted by bidders across tenders stands at 8.27 US cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) – a massive 37.77% reduction from the current average solar generation cost of 13.29 cents, BPDB officials confirmed. This competitive pricing is largely attributed to the BPDB’s recent shift to an open, competitive bidding process and a steep decline in global solar panel prices.

the new average tariff of 8.27 cents is also significantly lower than the costs of unsolicited solar projects approved under the previous government, with tariffs falling by as much as 21% compared to those earlier deals.

the tariff reduction is a direct result of a policy shift following the change in government last year.

the BPDB cancelled the Letters of Intent (LoIs) for 34 unsolicited solar plants (totalling 2,344MW) that were approved by the former Awami League government. Subsequently, between December 2024 and March 2025, the BPDB floated international tenders in four separate packages for 55 gridconnected solar power plants with a combined capacity of 5,238MW

As the world edges closer towards a more perilous present than ever, people from all over the planet are striving to adapt and innovate to preserve the future. The Earthshot Prize was founded by HRH Prince William of the United Kingdom in 2020 to tackle the most important climate issues by 2030.

the Earthshot Prize Finalists are climate leaders from every corner of the globe and every kind of organization.

inspired directly by former US president John F. Kennedy’s famous ‘Moonshot’ project, which united people to achieve the goal of landing a man on the moon. The Earthshot Prize aims to inspire optimism and mobilize decades of action for the planet by identifying and supporting groundbreaking leadership and cutting-edge solutions in five key areas. They represent the most ambitious and inspiring solutions to the planet’s greatest challenges across five Earthshots- categories within which each competing organization is classified, depending on the areas of their work. Friendship has been nominated as a finalist in the ‘Fix Our Climate’ Earthshot category.

China’s EV giant has unveiled the 14.5 MWh DC ‘Haohan’ single-unit DC block with record-breaking capacity to challenge next-generation energy storage market. BYD has unveiled a new DC energy storage system with the world’s largest singleunit capacity of 14.5 MWh, intensifying competition in the fast-growing utilityscale storage market.

the ‘Haohan’ system was launched on September 18 at the International Digital Energy Expo in Shenzhen.

the company said Haohan’s minimum unit capacity of 14. 5MWh is more than double the industry norm of 6-7 MWh. When configured within a standard 20-foot container, the system delivers 10 MWh and achieves a volumetric energy density of 233 kWh per cubic meter, a 51% increase on the industry average. For a 1 GWh storage plant, Haohan would cut the number of required units by more than half, reduce land use by one-third, and trim cell count by 76%.

Ch ief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has underscored the urgent need for Bangladesh to transition towards cleaner, safer, and more affordable energy solutions as the country navigates a new path toward sustainable economic development. Speaking during a recent virtual conference with Carl Page, Chairman of the Anthropocene Institute, and his colleagues, Professor Yunus said Bangladesh-one of the world’s most densely populated and climatevulnerable nations-cannot afford prolonged reliance on fossil fuels. ‘It is time for Bangladesh to seriously consider clean energy alternatives, including large-scale solar deployment,’ Professor Yunus said. Carl Page, brother of Google co-founder Larry Page, highlighted recent advancements in next-generation nuclear technologies and hybrid systems that offer reliable, zero-carbon power. He emphasized that barge-mounted nuclear reactors are cost-effective, low-maintenance, and capable of powering Bangladesh’s growing industrial sector for decades. Nuclear power is no longer a taboo topic among major development financiers like the World Bank, Page said, adding that countries such as Indonesia are already adopting these technologies to meet their rising energy demands. BIDA, DESCO Sign MoU to Install 150kWp Rooftop Solar System at Biniyog Bhaban The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) Limited recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to install, operate, and maintain a 150 kilowattpeak (kWp) rooftop solar power system at BIDA’s headquarters at Agargaon in the city. The signing ceremony, held at the Investment Building’s conference room, was presided over by BIDA Executive Chairman (State Minister) Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, said a press release. DESCO Managing Director Brigadier General Shamim Ahmed ndc, PSC (retd) attended the event as special guest.

on behalf of BIDA, the MoU was signed by Director Md. Maruful Alam, while DESCO’s Company Secretary Engineer Mohammad Kamruzzaman signed on behalf of the power distributor.

according to the agreement, DESCO will implement, operate, and maintain the system on a 9,105-square-foot rooftop area. The 20-year project involves an installation cost of around Tk 8.9 million, with an additional Tk 8.7 million earmarked for maintenance and replacement during the project’s lifespan.

the solar system is expected to generate about 2.85 million kilowatt-hours of electricity over 20 years, worth approximately Tk 29.9 million.

Omera Renewable will generate 6MW of solar power within the next six months by using the unused spaces of the Padma Bridge service areas. An agreement on this was signed between Bangladesh Bridge Authority and Omera Renewable Energy Ltd recently.

according to a media statement, Bridge Authority Chief Engineer Quazi Ferdous and Omera Renewable Energy CEO Masudur Rahman signed the contract.

the statement said the contract was signed under the directives of Fouzul Kabir Khan, advisor to the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry.

at his instruction, an IDCOL team carried out a feasibility study on the potential for rooftop solar power generation at the Padma Bridge service areas.

the study report found that Service Area-1 has the capacity to generate 1,966KW, Service Area-2 2,948KW, and Service Area-3 around 1,119KW, making a total of 6,033KW.

the contract with Omera Renewable is worth Tk 230 million.

the project is scheduled to be completed within six months, by Mar 14, 2026.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said the interim government is importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from various sources, not from a single country, by comparing international prices and assessing demand. ‘No, we are not importing LNG from a single source. We verify the international market. We are comparing all the markets, be it America, Saudi Arabia, China, or Singapore.

it is not that easy to just give it to the US,’ he told reporters on 16 September. Dr Salehuddin was speaking after chairing meetings of the Advisory Council Committee on Economic Affairs and the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement at the Secretariat.

asked about the outcomes of the current visit of the USTR delegation to Bangladesh, he said the issue lies with the Commerce Ministry, especially as emphasis is being given to minimizing the existing trade gap between Bangladesh and the USA by importing more items from the USA.