United News of Bangladesh

Chairman of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Jalal Ahmed on Sunday said importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Tk 75 per unit and selling it at Tk 12–17 is not a viable long-term solution. Speaking at the closing session of the Green Energy Olympiad 2025, held at the Bangladesh Military Museum, he stressed the urgent need for moving away from fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy, especially rooftop solar, as a more cost-effective and sustainable alternative. The two-day Olympiad, the first large-scale event of its kind in the country, was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) and the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), aiming to promote environmental awareness and foster climate leadership among young students, focusing on the shift towards renewable energy. This Olympiad was more than a competition—it was a national platform for youth to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability through logic, analysis, and leadership, the organisers said. The BERC chairman highlighted efforts underway to install rooftop solar systems across the garment sector by 2026. “Youth-led green energy initiatives are critical, and now is the time to prioritise renewable energy,” he said. Jalal Ahmed also noted that solar energy is now highly affordable and Bangladesh is capable of achieving its national targets. "The Merchant Power Plant policy is awaiting approval and will further accelerate the growth of renewable energy," he added. Zahidul Alam, Vice President of the Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA), pointed out that the cost of solar home systems has dropped nearly tenfold since their introduction in Bangladesh. “In the industrial sector, rooftop solar can meet a substantial portion of the electricity demand. To reach our 40% renewable energy target, we must also invest in wind power,” he said. Hasan Mehedi, Chief Executive of CLEAN, stressed that the future of Bangladesh’s energy sector is not just about electricity, but also about justice, environmental integrity, and intergenerational equity. “The time has come to move away from imported fossil fuels and embrace a just, locally-rooted energy transition. Youth engagement in this process is now more important than ever,” he said. Green Energy Olympiad Champion Arafat Zulfiqar of Rajshahi Medical College said, “The Olympiad has united students from across the country. Let this movement for sustainable energy continue to grow.” Purchase body approves 7 proposals including import of 2 LNG cargoes Green Energy Olympiad 2025 (GEO 2025) was a nationwide academic competition designed to raise awareness and cultivate leadership among students on environmental issues, climate change and renewable energy. Around 4,900 students from 150 colleges and universities participated in the six-phase event, which evaluated knowledge, analytical thinking and logical reasoning.  

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) chairman Abdul Jalil has said that the watchdog body will make a detailed analysis before taking any decision on the proposals submitted by different gas distribution companies to raise the gas tariff.  He made the remarks while taking part in a virtual dialogue on “Gas-LNG Debate in Energy Supply: Costs and Consequences of LNG Import for the Power Sector”, organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on Sunday. The energy regulating body chief’s remarks came against the backdrop of the state-owned gas distributors’ proposals submitted to the BERC on January 25 to make a 117 per cent hike in gas price at retail level. Also read: Govt working to keep gas price within tolerable limit: Nasrul If the BERC accepts the distributors’ proposals the monthly gas price for a double burner will increase to Tk 2100 from existing Tk 975, while price for single burner will rise to Tk 2000 from current Tk 925. The function, chaired by CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun, was also addressed by eminent energy expert Dr M Tamim, Power Cell director general Mohammad Hossain, and Bangladesh Independent Power Producers Association president Imran Karim while Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director and Abdullah Fahad, Senior Research Associate of the CPD made a keynote presentation at the dialogue.    Abdul Jalil urged the government to increase subsidy and reduce the tax on LNG import so that gas prices could be kept lower. He recommended increasing the onshore and offshore gas exploration as a long term solution to the current gas crisis. The other speakers said that the ongoing gas crisis needs to be addressed through short, medium and long term measures.  Also read: Textile millers oppose plan for gas price hike Impact of liquefied natural gas (LNG) should not be the only measure, rather enhancing efficiency in gas use in power plants, reducing captive power generation, and promoting clean-energy based power generation are important to address the crisis, they observed. They said that household consumers, industry, transport and power sectors have been facing challenges due to shortage of gas supply.  The speakers said the government should put emphasis on clean energy based power generation, gradually increase the share of renewable energy in the fuel-mix, and improve energy efficiency.  Dr M Tamim, Former Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor and Professor, Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), put emphasis on exploration of gas.  He said the state-owned exploration company Bapex or foreign companies should be appointed for gas exploration on a competitive basis, “he added. Dr Badrul Imam, Honorary Professor, Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, said the current gas price crisis is a result of the negligence towards the exploration of our own gas sources.  He recommended increasing the exploration pace both in onshore and offshore gas fields.  Razeeb Haider, Managing Director, Outpace Spinning Mills and Director, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) said that increase in the price of gas along with cost of production will be a major constraint for the textile sector to turn around from the pandemic situation. Mr Mohammad Hossain, Director General of Power Cell, emphasised on the need for both gas and LNG to provide electricity.  Nuclear energy is an option as a cheaper means of electricity production, he suggested.