Category: Energy and Power

As part of the interim government’s efforts to reduce project expenses, the construction of Eastern Refi nery Limited’s second unit (ERL-2) has been cut by Tk4,465 crore, even before work has begun.

A revised proposal puts the project’s new cost at Tk31,000 crore, down from Tk35,465 crore, and has been submitted to the Planning Commission. On 23 December, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project conditionally, asking for a review of various components, senior planning commission offi cials said.

They said Ecnec had asked to revise detailed engineering, design, construction supervision, commissioning, and associated buildings and infrastructure – to ensure costs were reasonable. Following the directives, a cost review committee was formed under Amin Ul Ahsan, chairman of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), with offi cials from ERL and the energy division.

Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), in partnership with Square Group, celebrated the successful implementation of rooftop solar power projects across Square Textiles PLC and Square Food and Beverage Limited, marking a signifi cant milestone in the Group’s sustainability journey. Under this partnership, three rooftop solar projects with a combined installed capacity of 7.51 MWp have been implemented since 2020.

IDCOL provided fi nancing and technical assistance for the projects.

The solar installations are contributing to reduced carbon emissions, lower energy costs, and improved energy effi ciency across Square Group’s industrial operations.

A Joint Celebration of the Solar Rooftop Partnership was held on 8 February 2026, at the Square Group Corporate Offi ce in Mohakhali, Dhaka. Mr.

Alamgir Morshed, Executive Director and Chief Executive Offi cer of IDCOL and Mr.

Eric S. Chowdhury, Director, Square Group were present at the event.

China’s PV industry expects 238 GW to 287 GW of domestic capacity additions in 2026 as it pivots away from volumeled growth after a loss-making year driven by overcapacity and sharp price declines.

The shift follows rapid expansion in 2021-25 that lifted cumulative capacity above 1.2 TW, annual additions beyond 300 GW and exports over $180 billion.

At an industry seminar hosted by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) on Feb. 5, honorary adviser Wang Bohua delivered a keynote reviewing the sector’s ’14th Five-Year Plan’ cycle (2021-25) and outlining expectations for 2026-30. Looking to 2026-2030, Wang projected average annual global PV additions of 725 GW to 870 GW, and China additions of 238 GW to 287 GW.

He argued the next cycle will hinge on curbing ‘malign’ price competition, accelerating low- or no-silver pathways and perovskitetandem industrialisation, and pushing manufacturing towards smarter, greener, and more integrated models.

He also noted China will end export tax rebates for PV products from April 1, 2026, a move he framed as intensifying the push from volume growth to quality and value.

The country’s progress in renewable energy expansion has slowed down, which is evident from the installation of merely 78.98 Megawattpeak in 2025 compared with the installation 380MWp in 2024.

According to the data published by the Sustainable Renewable Energy Development Authority on its website under the head ‘Year-wise Generation of All RE Large Technologies’, 247.36MWp was installed in 2023.

Ashraful Alam, the SREDA member on renewable energy, however, said that the current yearwise installation of large renewable plants did not refl ect the real, on-theground scenario.

The database projected many plants as installed, but actually not, he said, adding that a scrutiny was on to correct the database.

Experts said that the renewable energy expansion work slowed down over the past 18 months since the interim government had scrapped 37 unsolicited renewable energy projects in November 2024.

The unsolicited projects were approved during the Awami League regime before its ouster in July uprising in 2024.

Bangladesh could have horn-free roads in the future if noise laws are properly enforced, said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Information and Broadcasting, and Water Resources.

She made the remark recently at a public program in Mazar Chattar, Dhaka, aimed at raising awareness against unnecessary honking.

The event was organised jointly by the Department of Environment (DoE), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The adviser said the Noise Pollution Control Rules cover all sources of noise, but the current initiative focuses on controlling horn use.

More than 670,000 customers in the US as far west as Texas were without power and more than 9,600 fl ights were expected to be canceled recently ahead of a monster winter storm that threatened to paralyze eastern states with heavy snowfall. Forecasters said snow, sleet, freezing rain and dangerously frigid temperatures would sweep the eastern two-thirds of the nation. Calling the storms ‘historic,’ President Donald Trump recently approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia. ‘We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm.

Stay Safe, and Stay Warm,’ Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have declared weather emergencies, the Department of Homeland Security said. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, at a news conference on Saturday, warned Americans to take precautions.

The Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt.) Limited (BIFPCL) has sought special approval from the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to import the remaining 2.353 million tonnes of coal under CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) Incoterms, sources said.

The move is aimed at ensuring uninterrupted power generation at the Maitree Super Thermal Power Project (MSTPP) in Rampal, Bagerhat, ahead of periods of high electricity demand.

BIFPCL, a joint venture between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), currently operates two 660-megawatt power units at the plant.

According to internal documents, the facility contributed nearly 11.50 per cent of the country’s total electricity demand in November 2025. With Ramadan and the irrigation season approaching, the company has emphasised that maintaining adequate coal stocks is ‘nationally critical’ to prevent power shortages during peak demand.

Residents in the capital’s Rayerbagh area blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway recently demanding an uninterrupted household gas supply in their area.

They kept the highway blocked for over an hour, halting vehicular movement on the highway at Rayerbagh and causing long tailbacks and suffering to the commuters as the buses of inter-city services could not move during the protest, the police said. Quoting local people’s allegation, the police said that residents of Rayerbagh were not getting gas supply in their households for the past eight to 10 days.

The everyday lives of the residents in the area were severely hampered due to the lack of household gas supply, which prompted them to stage the street demonstration, said the police. Jatrabari police station o f f i c e r – i n – c h a r g e Mohammad Raju said that on information, the police rushed to the spot and talked with the protesters.

Three readymade garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh have received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifi cation from the US Green Building Council (USGBC), with one factory achieving the highest score globally.

HAMS Garments Ltd, located in Sreepur of Gazipur, secured Platinum certifi cation under the LEED O+M: Existing Buildings v4 rating system after scoring 108 points, the highest score recorded worldwide so far under this category. Meanwhile, Ecotrims Bangladesh Ltd – Unit 1, situated in Telihati union of Gazipur, obtained Gold certifi cation under the LEED O+M: Existing Buildings v4.1 rating system with 70 points.

Another factory, NAFA Apparels Ltd – Unit 1, located in Kaliakoir of Gazipur, also achieved Gold certifi cation under the LEED BD+C: New Construction v4 rating system after scoring 65 points. With the addition of these three factories, the total number of LEED-certifi ed garment factories in Bangladesh has risen to 273, including 115 Platinum and 139 Gold certifi ed units.

India is in negotiations with Azerbaijan regarding supplies of liquefi ed petroleum gas (LPG), according to Shri T.V. Pandiyan, head of the LPG division at India’s stateowned Bharat Petroleum oil refi nery. ‘Bharat Petroleum is in talks with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic to purchase liquefi ed petroleum gas,’ Pandiyan said in an interview with India’s The Hindu publication. Pandiyan also said that the company has announced a tender for importing LPG from the United States. ‘The majority of the company’s purchases, around 90%, are concluded under long-term contracts, while the remainder are spot transactions.

The tender for supplies from the U.S.

Is based namely on the spot purchasing mechanism.

The confl ict in the Middle East continues.

If the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, what will we do?

The tender is part of our strategy to diversify supply sources,’ Pandiyan emphasized. Pandiyan said that China’s refusal to accept U.S. LPG cargo also creates an opportunity for India to purchase LPG at lower prices.