Dhaka, July 5 (UNB) – BNP on Friday alleged that the government has raised the gas tariff unfairly only to facilitate those ruling party leaders and businessmen who import Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). “The only reason behind the gas price…
Category: Energy
Gonoforum extends support to LDA’s hartal
Dhaka, July 4 – Gonoforum on Thursday extended its support to the Left Democratic Alliance’s (LDA’s) half-day hartal to be enforced across the country on July 7 protesting the gas tariff hike. The decision was taken at a meeting of…
Writ challenging legality of gas price hike filed
Dhaka, July 04 – A writ petition was filed yesterday with the High Court challenging the legality of government notification of increasing the gas price without giving any prior notice. Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Eunus Ali Akond filed the writ…
Dhaka, Beijing sign nine instruments – five on power development
Beijing, Jul 4 – Bangladesh and China on Thursday signed nine instruments for further strengthening cooperation on power, water resources, culture and tourism sectors as well as providing 2,500 metric tonnes of rice for the displaced Rohingyas. The instruments, including…
Gas price hike aimed at benefiting corrupt elements: BNP
Dhaka, Jul 1 (UNB) – BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday alleged that the government has raised the gas price to make the pockets of corrupt elements and businessmen heavier. “The gas price per burner has been…
BNP opposes gas price hike move, calls it anti-people
Dhaka, Jun 30 – Describing the government’s decision to raise the gas price as an unjustified one, BNP on Sunday warned of waging a street movement if it does not back off from the move. In a statement, BNP secretary…
Gas price for cooking raised by 32.8 pc
Dhaka, Jun 30 (UNB) – The average gas price has been raised by 32.8 percent for the retail consumers in the country with effect from Monday (July 1). Chairman of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Monwar Islam announced the…
G20 summit: World leaders sans Trump agree on climate deal
Leaders have agreed on a climate deal similar to the one struck in Argentina in 2018. The US has again refused to commit to tackling climate change. World leaders attending the 2019 G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka…
We can’t stop climate disaster if big emitters don’t step up
By Frank Bainimarama SUVA, Fiji, Jun 27, 2019 (IPS) — Are the most climate-vulnerable nations of the world right to demand that developed and major economies commit to carbon neutrality by 2050? Should the poorest nations of the world insist…
Rampal project anti-constitutional: Sultana Kamal
Dhaka, June 28 (UNB)— The government’s decision to set-up a coal-fired power plant at Rampal goes against the constitution, National Committee for Saving the Sundarbans (NCSS) President Sultana Kamal said on Friday. “Although the constitution says that every decision will…
PDB key power producer of BD incurs Tk103 billion loss
Dhaka, Jun 22 – The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) incurred the highest loss of Tk 10,271.58 crore (Tk103 billion) among 49 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the outgoing 2018-19 fiscal year (till April 30), according to the Bangladesh Economic Survey…
Rampal power plant won’t harm Sundarbans: says Minister
Dhaka, Jun 18 (UNB)– The proposed coal-fired power plant adjacent to the Sundarbans will not do any harm to the world’s largest mangrove forest, claims Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin. “Fears about damage to Sundarbans are…
Give up Rampal power plant project: TIB urges govt
Dhaka, June 17 – Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Monday urged the government to stop all ‘controversial projects’ including Rampal power plant which might pose a threat to largest mangrove Sundarbans. Expressing concern over the UNESCO’s recent proposal of listing…
BD move for 10pc power from renewables looks uncertain
Most of the 23 solar projects that received “approval” from PM Office remain unimplemented Dhaka, Jun 16 — Bangladesh’s goal to generate 10 percent of its electricity from renewables by the next year will be a tough one to achieve…
Magurchara gas field blowout – 1997: Who compensates loss
Moulvibazar, June 14 (UNB) – Today marks the 22nd anniversary of possibly the first real man-made disaster affecting the environment to occur in Bangladesh, as a consequence of contracts signed between the government and the powerful set international oil companies,…
China should lead on air pollution
by Kris Hartley, Asit K. Biswas Singapore/Hong Kong – The United Nations expects 68% of the world’s population to live in urban areas by 2050. As governments scramble to manage this flood of urban migration, they must address not only…
Japan’s government must exit coal
by Jan Erik Saugestad OSLO – Following the abdication of Emperor Akihito, Japan announced that its new imperial era would be called Reiwa (“beautiful harmony”). But if the Reiwa era is to live up to its name, Japan’s government must…
Planning can save the Planet: China chooses renewable energy
By Sara Flounders 23 Apr 2019 – The very corporations that are responsible for the problem are denying global warming, with immediate consequences for the whole world. Carbon emissions from the burning of oil, gas and methane are heating the…
BD solar power sale to national grid growing fast
Dhaka, Jun 8 (UNB) – The sale of solar power from consumers’ end to the national grid under the Net Metering System (NMS) is growing fast as its volume has already reached 8.213 MW across the country. According to official…
Beximco solar power contract may be terminated for failure
Dhaka, Jun 1 (UNB)— The government has initiated a process to terminate a contract with Beximco Group for its failure to implement a solar power project. Power Division sources said the Power Development Board (PDB) issued an ‘event of default…
Summit Group signs MoU with Japan’s Energy for New Era
Tokyo, May 29 (UNB) – Summit Group of Bangladesh and Japan’s Energy for New Era (JERA) signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to initiate a mega energy infrastructure project. The project will have the capacity to handle 20 million…
Solar-powered dug-wells bring hopes to drought-prone BD people
Naogaon, May 26 – The phrase ‘drought-prone region’ to describe a cluster of districts in Bangladesh’s north sounds almost benign, and hardly captures the perpetual hardships of people engaged in a daily battle for water, the other name of life.…
Third reference unit of Rooppur NPP connects to Russian grid
Unit-2 of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Project-2 for the first time supplied electricity to grid recently. The 3+ generation VVER-1200 power unit was synchronized with the grid and achieved the capacity of 240 megawatts. The unit is considered to be…
Satellite images show no major damage to ‘sabotaged’ ships
Dubai, May 14 (AP/UNB) — Four oil tankers anchored in the Mideast were damaged by what Gulf officials described as sabotage, though satellite images obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday showed no major visible damage to the vessels. Details…
BD plans 3 Coal-LNG-based hubs for 286k MW power generation
Dhaka, May 13 – The government is setting up three power hubs to boost Bangladesh’s power generation capacity over the next two decades. The hubs will be constructed at three locations as part of the Power System Master Plan 2016.…
India’s growing solar energy could leave a trail of wastes
Solar power may promise a bright future for India’s energy requirements, but behind the sheen is a growing mountain of waste. While the national government is pushing an ambitious solar power programme for India, it has, so far, failed to…
Is UAE leading the way for concentrated solar power in GCC?
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 9 2019 (IPS) – In April 2019, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published a report on a “roadmap to 2050” in terms of renewable energy. The report highlighted the possibility that by 2050, about 86 percent of…
Dhaka plans to import more LNG
Dhaka, May 06 – The Bangladesh government is planning to import more Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) from the global market. During the recent state visit of Prime Minister Sheik Hasina in Brunei, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for…
India’s hydro generation again below 10% in 2018-19
May 1, 2019 SANDRP In 2018-19, for the third year in succession, power generation from India’s large hydropower projects was below 10% of total electricity generation. In 2016-17, for the first time in independent India’s history, power generation from large…
Bangladeshi del visits Rooppur NPP reference plant in Russia
Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM arranged a familiarization tour to Unit- 6 of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in Russia for a group of Bangladeshi expert and media representatives on April 17, 2019. The said unit is considered to be…