Category: Energy and Power

The government has reduced the prices of diesel, octane, petrol, and kerosene by Tk 2 per liter for February 2026 following price trends in the international market. Under the revised rates, diesel will now sell at Tk 100 per liter, down from Tk 102; octane at Tk 120, down from Tk 122; petrol at Tk 116, down from Tk 118; and kerosene at Tk 112, down from Tk 114.

The new prices take effect from February 1, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources said in a media statement recently.

Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) hosted the Just Energy Transition Conference 2026 on February 1 at the Military Museum in Dhaka.

The national-level conference, themed ‘Voices for a GenderResponsive Energy Future,’ focused on the social dimensions of energy transition, including equity, inclusion, and justice, alongside technology and fi nance, with an emphasis on turning grassroots realities into policy and investment recommendations. Delivering the welcome remarks, Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of MJF, said the organization has worked for service access at the grassroots for 23 years, and warned that climate vulnerability disproportionately affects women and persons with disabilities.

A renewable transition, she said, must respond to these realities, particularly in areas such as household cooking where women face long hours and serious health risks. ‘So, energy will be clean, it will be green, and it will be for the people’s welfare,’ she said, urging that renewable energy remain a priority regardless of who forms the next government.

Technology group Wärtsilä will invest approximately EUR 140 million to further expand its production capacity by 35% at its technology centre, Sustainable Technology Hub (STH) in Vaasa, Finland and associated global supply chain.

This expansion will increase Wärtsilä’s industrial capacity and strengthen the capacity of the associated global supply chain, positioning Wärtsilä to meet growing market demand in energy and marine.

The expanded capacity will enable Wärtsilä to deliver a higher volume of engines, and better support both customer needs and continued business growth long-term.

The new production capacity will be installed within the STH facility expansion announced in April 2025 and is expected to be commissioned in the fi rst quarter of 2028.

Planned or underconstruction solar and wind projects slowed last year, analysis showed Tuesday, casting doubts on whether countries will hit a goal of tripling renewable capacity by decade-end. Dozens of nations agreed in 2023 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of efforts to limit global warming.

But announcements and construction starts of new wind and solar projects grew 11 percent in 2025 -down from 22 percent in the previous year, as wind development projects faced hurdles, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said. ‘Wind developers experienced political barriers and a streak of failed wind power auctions in wealthy nations,’ GEM research analyst Diren Kocakusak said.

V e n e z u e l a ‘ s interim president Delcy Rodriguez recently forecast a $1.4 billion bonanza from planned reforms to the oil sector aimed at drawing in foreign investors following the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.

Rodriguez projected oil investments would rise 55 percent over 2025 after a bill ending decades of tight state control on the energy sector is adopted by parliament. ‘Last year, investment came to nearly $900 million and for this year, $1.4 billion in investments have been signed,’ claimed Rodriguez, who succeeded Maduro after his January 3 overthrow by US special forces.

Rodriguez was addressing a business audience as part of public consultations on plans to throw open the oil sector to private investment. ‘We must go from the country with the planet’s biggest (proven) reserves of oil to a giant in production terms,’ Rodriguez argued.

Bangladesh has appointed a British law fi rm to represent the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) in mediation proceedings at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre against Adani Power Limited, a signifi cant step in the longrunning dispute over coal pricing and power tariffs. Confi rming the development, BPDB offi cials said that the nominees’ names had already been submitted to SIAC on behalf of the state utility. Power Division offi cials said the appointed fi rm is 3 Verulam Building, a UK-based law chambers headed by King’s Counsel Farhaz Khan, who has been advising the National Review Committee for several months.

To support the King’s Counsel, BPDB has also appointed two local experts, one from the power sector and another a Supreme Court lawyer, offi cials added.

In a separate development, an international arbitration has ordered Canadian energy company Niko Resources to pay $42 million in compensation to Bangladesh over the Chhatak gas fi eld blowouts in 2005.

The BNP’s overwhelming electoral victory offers political stability at a time when Bangladesh’s power and energy sector stands on fragile ground. Yet a strong mandate alone will not keep the lights on.

The new government inherits a system burdened by rising import dependence, declining domestic gas production, growing arrears, and subsidy pressures that strain the national budget.

Installed generation capacity may exceed demand on paper, but fuel shortages, unpaid bills, and infrastructure bottlenecks threaten real-world supply, especially during Ramadan and the summer peak.

Short-term fi refi ghting will be unavoidable. Clearing arrears, securing foreign currency for imports, and ensuring uninterrupted LNG and coal supply are immediate priorities.

But the real test lies in reform. Domestic gas exploration must accelerate, Production Sharing Contracts must be fi nalized, LNG infrastructure decisions must be revisited, and renewable expansion must be placed on a realistic but urgent footing.

Subsidy reduction cannot rely solely on tariff hikes in an already high-cost environment.

Instead, supply costs must fall through better fuel mix decisions, phasing out expensive oil-based generation, and maximizing lower-cost alternatives. Perhaps most critically, investor confi dence must be restored. Policy reversals and uncertainty have shaken trust.

Stability and predictability will determine whether new capital fl ows into the sector.

The government’s promise to create 15 million jobs depends fundamentally on reliable, competitively priced energy.

Economic growth cannot occur in the dark.

If the new administration succeeds in stabilizing and reforming the energy sector, it will lay the foundation for broader national progress.

ICIMOD Director General Dr Pema Gyamtsho said recently that by focusing on the knowledge, leadership and priorities of women and indigenous people in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, they are not only boosting climate resilience but also giving more power to those who have long protected mountain ecosystems. ‘As implementation begins, I am reminded that meaningful climate action is not only about technologies or policies, but about people, equity, and dignity,’ he said, refl ecting not only on what the ICIMOD has achieved but also on what this year has meant to him personally.

By working closely with national partners in all three countries, HI-CAS is laying the foundation for integrated, ecosystem-based adaptation solutions that respond to local realities and ensure that those most affected by climate change are at the center of adaptation planning and action, Dr Pema said. ‘What gives me confi dence is HI-CAS’s clear focus on locally led, genderresponsive adaptation,’ he said in a message.

In 2025, ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) began implementation of the Integrated Climate Adaptation Solutions for the Hindu Kush Himalaya Region (HI-CAS) project.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) recently adjusted the price of Liquefi ed Petroleum Gas (LPG) upward and now a 12 kilogram (Kg) LPG cylinder will be sold to the consumers at Tk 1,356 instead of Tk 1,306. ‘The newly fi xed price of LPG is Taka1,356, which will be effective at 6pm (February 2) and all licenses of LPG marketing companies will implement the price,’ BERC Chairman Jalal Ahmed said recently.

He said the prices of all the 13 different sizes of LPGfi lled cylinders have been adjusted for February.

The BERC also re-fi xed auto gas price at Taka 62.14 per liter for February, which was Taka 59.80 in January and Taka 57.32 in December.

As per the BERC announcement, new price at retailer level owned by private sector, 12.5 kg LPG has been re-fi xed at Taka1,413, 15 kg at Taka1,696, 16 kg at Taka1,809, 18 kg at Taka2,035, 20 kg at Taka 2,260, 22 kg at Taka 2,487, 25 kg at Taka 2,826, 30 kg at Taka 3,391, 33 kg at Taka 3,731, 35 kg at Taka 3,956 and 45 kg at Taka 5,087.

The power division is taking an initiative without issuing a solicited work order despite the High Court ruling on supply of coal to Patuakhali’sRNPL (RPCLNORINCO) through Direct Purchase Method (DPM). Despite Yangthai Energy being deemed fi nancially and technically qualifi ed in the fourth round of the Open Tender Process (OTM) tender for supply of coal to the power plant, the power department is taking this initiative without issuing a solicited work order.

However, the Singaporebased company has fi led a writ petition in the High Court and obtained a verdict in its favor.

There has been widespread criticism in the relevant circles about the purchase of coal through the DPM, ignoring the verdict. Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Advisor Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan said, ‘We have to run the power plant.

A Singapore-based company has obtained a court ruling.

I know.’