‘Govt working to produce 50% clean energy by 2040’

The government is working to generate 50 per cent electricity from the clean and renewable energy sources under the Vision-2040, said State Minister for Energy, Power and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid on Tuesday.

Regional cooperation can potentially contribute to increase the production of renewable energy, Nasrul Hamid said, adding that “In this case, the neighboring countries Nepal and Bhutan will play an important role in clean electricity production.”

The State Minister came up with the remarks during a bilateral meeting with Nepal’s Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Pampha Bhusal at the Secretariat.

A nine-member delegation led by Pampha Bhusal and eight-member delegation led by Nasrul Hamid attended the meeting where they discussed different issues of mutual interest.

Bangladesh can import electricity from Nepal during the summer-monsoon, Hamid said, adding that “On the contrary, Nepal can also import power from Bangladesh during the winter season as Nepal’s power generation decreases by then.” During the summer-monsoon season, Nepal’s hydropower capacity reach to 43,000 MW, the junior minister said.

Meanwhile, Pampha Bhusal requested Bangladesh to invest on Nepal’s hydropower sector and also praised Bangladesh’s different initiatives to develop its power sector.

Currently, Bangladesh imports 1000MW electricity from India. Besides, the process of importing hydropower from Nepal is almost final while signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for importing hydropower from Bhutan is also under process.

Secretary of the Power Division Habibur Rahman, Chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Mahbubur Rahman, Director General of Power Cell Mohammed Hossain and Nepal’s National Planning Commission Member Surendra Labh Karna, Secretary of Energy Devendra Karki were present at the meeting, among others.

What Is renewable energy?

Renewable energy comes from sources that replenish themselves over short periods of time. For the most part, renewable energy sources also provide clean energy, or energy that emits few greenhouse gases or pollutants.

For this reason, many policy experts and scientists advocate renewable energy sources over traditional fossil fuels. 

Hydropower

Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source for electricity in many countries.

Hydropower relies on water—typically fast-moving water in a large river or rapidly descending water from a high point—and converts the forces of that water into electricity by spinning a generator’s turbine blades.