Bangladesh has ‘good’ data transparency In power sector in Asia

Bangladesh has scored good in data transparency in the power sector in Asia in a report.

It is among six economies that scored good or excellent, the Asia Data Transparency Report 2023 published on Thursday said. The five other countries are India, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, and South Korea.

The report, jointly produced by energy think tank Ember and impact multiplier for climate action Subak, said half of the economies that scored high were lower-middle income.

It said three lower-middle income economies – India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – scored higher than any other upper middle-income economies.

Ember’s Asia Data Analyst Uni Lee said the three countries are showing that it is possible to improve data transparency and have encouraged others to follow suit. Only five economies – India, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Georgia – made data available within a week, the report said.

It said Bangladesh provides daily generation data for each power plant and various metrics for the electricity market, including outage and day-ahead schedules through the central utility.

According to the report, 75 per cent of economies do not make data available in a timely manner. Among them, 14 economies had a time lag of more than a year.

Subak’s Data Cooperative Associate Justine White said, “Data is essential for climate professionals to monitor, track and set clean power targets as well as develop innovative technologies for better grid flexibility and engage in evidence-based policymaking.”

The report is the first of its kind that presents a comprehensive regional picture of the availability of power sector data in Asia, including the Asia Pacific and Central Asia.

The research identified 74 official data sources across the region, which is a significant improvement since the first Asia Data Transparency Report 2020 led by Ember was published.

More than half of the 39 economies in Asia have “poor” or “insufficient” power data. These countries are home to 684 million people.

The researchers conclude that poor data transparency is holding back the speed of clean power transition in Asia, which is home to 80 per cent of global coal generation.

Ideally, power data needs to be published at a minimum of hourly intervals for an optimal power market operation and analysis. Bangladesh is also one of the countries that are sharing data hourly or at less intervals.

Some governments have become aware of the importance of data transparency, which accelerates de-carbonisation of the power sector through innovation and builds trust in the government.

Further, the report authors emphasised that governments and intergovernmental organisations will gain monumental benefits of emission reduction and power sector innovation by improving data transparency, unleashing the full potential of Asia’s clean energy transition.