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Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku has said the government is keen to attract private investment, particularly in the energy sector.
“Our government is private-investment friendly. We are particularly interested in private investment in the energy sector,” he said.
The minister made the remarks at a seminar titled “Crisis in the Energy Sector: Prospects and Ways Forward,” organised by the Forum for Energy Reporters Bangladesh at Dhaka Club in the capital on Tuesday.
He said some people were trying to take advantage of the country’s current crisis.
“Many are trying to fish in troubled waters during the country’s crisis. I want to tell them that you will not be able to achieve anything by aggravating the country’s crisis,” he said.
The minister said the previous government had remained in power for 16 years in the name of development.
“When we came to power, we found that development had taken place wherever there was an opportunity to make money,” he said.
He said the closure of one FSRU (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit) had resulted in a severe gas shortage across the country.
“An FSRU has now been shut down, and the entire country is facing a gas crisis. We will sit with industrialists to discuss the gas shortage. We are paying attention to ensuring that the country’s industrialists do not face difficulties,” he said.
The minister said the government needed to proceed very cautiously with coal-fired power plants, as financing for many such projects had been halted because of their environmental impact.
He also said the government was taking an aggressive approach to solar energy and had been working to make the sector more business-oriented.
“We prepared the policy within two months. What we have stated in the policy will be implemented,” he said.
He added that solar power would be expanded across the country, starting with Dhaka, under an OPEX-based model.
