Bangladesh spends addl $8b for energy imports

Bangladesh has spent an additional $8 billion to meet the import costs due to price hike of petroleum products in the context of the Ukraine-Russia war, said Prime Minister's power and energy adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury.

He came up with the remarks at a webinar titled ‘’ Philosophy of Bangabandhu on Energy Eecurity: Achievement and Implementation Status’’ organised by Bangladesh Energy Society on Tuesday.

Managing Director of Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB) Moin Uddin presided over the programme while former BUET professor Nurul Islam, former principle secretary Abul Kalam Azad, BUET professor M. Tamim, former chairman of BPDB ASM Alamgir Kabir, former member of BERC Maqbul E Elahi Chowdhury, former chairman of Petrobangla Hossain Mansoor, Chairman of Summit Group Aziz Khan and Energy Secretary Khairuzzaman Majumder, among others, were present.

Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said, “Relying solely on a single energy source does not guarantee energy security. When making decisions about coal mining, environmental considerations will play a crucial role. The government is actively considering the utilization of solar power to fulfill a significant portion of the daily energy demand.”

To achieve energy security, it is imperative to prioritize the exploration and extraction of domestic coal gas, thereby diminishing the reliance on imports—a principle that echoes the philosophy of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, speakers focused.