Energy Bangla

  UNB June 22, 2022 11:26 PM Japan backtracked from funding the Matarbari-2 coal-fired power plant after consulting Bangladesh, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said. “To cut its carbon footprint, the Japanese government made the decision a year ago following a discussion with the Bangladesh government,” he told UNB on Wednesday. The Bangladesh government had already decided to develop an LNG-based power plant instead of... »

Some of Bangladesh’s largest power plants are set to begin operation by 2024, increasing the country’s installed capacity by nearly a third or over 7,300 MW. But this addition of new electricity does not look like a good development to economists and power experts worried about most of the electricity remaining unused due to the lack of transmission and distribution networks. Bangladesh’s power overcapacity could reach 70 per cent soon,... »

The Banshkhali power plant —SS Power 1— in Chattogram is expected to go into production by the end of this year, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, Li Jiming, said on Thursday. Visiting the under-construction coal-fired power plant, he said 95% of the project’s construction is complete. “The remaining work will be finished by December of this year and it will begin production from that month,” the Chinese envoy said. The 1320MW... »

The project will be implemented at 33 upazilas under some 14 districts of Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions and in two city corporation areas The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved Tk712.62 crore project for installing pre-payment meters at Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions in a bid to ensure cent percent revenue collection and also to reduce system loss. ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over... »

A technical evaluation committee (TEC) of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) at a public hearing on Wednesday recommended a 57.83% hike in bulk power tariff against 65.57% sought by the state-owned the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). However, the participating consumer civil right groups including representatives from different business bodies at the hearing vehemently opposed any big rise in power tariff right now when the people are struggling with high... »

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), in a research study has allegedly found substantive corruption involving three power plants—two coal fired and one LNG-based—in the country. According to the TIB study presented on Wednesday, the corruption involved at least Tk 390.49 crore which was allegedly grabbed by government officials, local representatives and influential political circles. Moreover, power tariffs were set at higher rates compared with similar projects which also involved corruption, it... »

Volatile fuel prices have started to hit Bangladesh’s power generation sector as the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is facing fund crunch in paying electricity bills to private producers. Sitting over a payment backlog of four months following an increase in the purchase cost from oil-based private power plants, the state-owned single buyer of electricity now wants either another hike in bulk electricity tariff or regular budgetary support to smoothen... »

In view of the shortage of coal, a dominant fuel used to generate electricity in the country, the government halted hundreds of passenger trains. Meanwhile, state-run Coal India ramped up coal production by 27.2% in April. Several states across the country reeled under long power cuts, as hotter-than-normal temperatures pushed the electricity demand, triggering a major power crisis. According to a report by Reuters, electricity supply fell short of demand... »

BANGLADESH comes fourth in the list of countries with highest coal-power capacity in pre-construction status, already announced or in planning stages, with 10.9 gigawatt — as the San Francisco-based non-governmental organisation Global Energy Monitor, which assesses fossil fuel and renewable energy projects in the world, in a report released on April 26 says — behind Vietnam, India and China. Although Bangladesh is reported have abandoned many coal-power plants, with 10.8GW... »

India wants to strengthen cooperation with Bangladesh in subregional connectivity and hydropower, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar says. After his meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen in Dhaka on Thursday, the Indian Indian external affairs minister said his visit is aimed at “continuing the progress in deepening of our engagement”. Speaking at a joint press conference with Momen at the Foreign Service Academy, Jaishankar said India looks... »