Adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said this is wrong concept of land shortage for renewable energy in Bangladesh, though there is huge unused land even state agencies.
He said the government is working to produce a new renewable energy policy keeping the option of providing land and grid connection to the government, so that the renewable energy generation can flourish.
The energy adviser said this while speaking at a seminar on, ‘Rapid Transition to Renewable: Role of Domestic Financial Institutions’ as the chief guest, held at the Auditorium of Economic Reports’ Forum (ERF) on Saturday.
The program was jointly organized by Centre for Environment and Participatory Research (CERP), Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) and ERF.
The private renewable energy producer could use these facilities by providing a minimum charge for land and grid use. As a result, the renewable energy produce would flourish vastly and the target could be achieved 20 percent instead of 10 percent, said Fouzul Kabir.
He said, as the special Act on power plant production passed by the past government has been cancelled by the court, all the contracts of the power sector will be held under public procurement (PP) within fear of competition.
“Following PP in a recent deal of LNG import, the government has given an order at 35 percent less price than previous. In renewable power generation the entire contract will be given in fear of competition by open tender, so real businessmen will get opportunity without persuading the government high up,” he pointed out.
He also said the government just creates opportunities for businessmen simplifying policy so syndicating business and tender would be stopped. The entire citizen will get the equal opportunity for business if is cap
able.
In a keynote presentation Gouranga Nandi, Chairperson, CEPR highlighted that for the survival of humankind on this earth, reducing carbon emission has no alternative to renewable energy transformation from fossil fuel.
Instead of 10 percent, Bangladesh achieved only 893MW or 3.2 percent installed capacity, and 1.8 percent generation capacity of renewable energy has been achieved so far. It means that achieving 10 percent renewable energy by 2025 is quite impossible in this situation, said in the presentation.
Nandi in the presentation suggested shifting the renewable energy generation target by 30 percent in 2030, when funding of Tk 87,657 crore is required in the next 6 years.
Khandaker Golam Moazzem, research director, CPD, Hasan Mehdi, CEO of CLEAN, Asha Noor Rahman, chief economist of The City bank, Abul Kalam azad, ActionAid, journalists Salauddin Bablu, Mohammad Refayet Ullah Mirdha, ERF president spoke in the program. Abul Kashem, ERF Secretary, moderated the event.
