Home ›› 20 May 2023 ›› Front
Environmental activists and advocates have called on the government to cancel the Integrated Energy and Power Sector Master Plan (IEPMP) project proposed by Japan, citing concerns that it will undermine the country’s renewable energy goals.
The proposed project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), plans to ensure a 17.1 per cent renewable energy in Bangladesh by 2050, while the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan (MCPP) has set the goal to 100 per cent for the period.
The Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) and Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED) jointly urged the State Minister of Power, and parliamentary standing committees to cancel the IEPMP project on Friday, according to a press statement.
In a policy brief, they said IEPMP will make Bangladesh dependable on fossil fuels and unproven technologies imported from foreign countries. It will further weigh down the economy. On the other hand, renewable energy can ensure energy security in Bangladesh and save foreign currency reserves.
“The MCPP, approved by the cabinet, is committed to implementing 30 per cent renewable energy by 2030, 40 per cent by 2041 and 100 per cent by 2050. During the last UN Climate Conference, the prime minister echoed the target in December 2021,” a BWGED press release said.
“But the IEPMP proposed 30.7 per cent coal and LNG, 32.8 per cent so-called ‘advanced technology’ such as liquid hydrogen, ammonia and only 17.1 per cent renewables by 2050.”
This proposition is totally against the MCPP and the commitment made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The environmental groups said JICA and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) did not consult with stakeholders, including energy users and renewable energy promoters, in the formulation process.
No consultation meetings were held with the parliamentarians, particularly parliamentary standing committees on the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral resources; on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Planning.
Bangladesh spends around Tk 40,000 crore from foreign currency reserves to import LNG and Tk 25,000 crore to import coal annually. Besides, Tk 23,000 crore will have to be paid in fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 as the capacity charge. In the alternative, renewable energy-based power plants do not require any capacity charges.
The policy brief says the generation cost of fossil fuel-based power has been increasing by 12 per cent while the cost of power from renewables is reducing by 10 per cent annually.
In FY 2021-22, the unit cost of power generated from diesel was Tk 36.61, followed by furnace oil at Tk 16.86, coal Tk 13.40 and solar power Tk 13.30.
