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DHAKA: The government has set a target of generating 10,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku has said, seeking cooperation from all stakeholders to achieve the goal.
However, he said the country’s outdated power transmission system posed a major challenge to meeting the target.
The minister made the remarks while inaugurating the three-day Renewable Energy Fest 2026 at the central playground of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Highlighting the financial difficulties facing the power and energy sector, he said the government was buying electricity and fuel at high prices but selling them at lower rates, creating a substantial financial deficit. However, he added, people were unwilling to understand the government’s difficulties.
“Nobody wants to understand our problems. We are still going through difficulties. We are buying at high prices and selling at lower prices, but people are not willing to pay accordingly,” he said.
Explaining the financial pressure on the power sector, Tuku said the government was in no position to reduce capacity payments to power plants, as any move in that direction could bring banks into the equation.
He said the government had to pay power plants even when they remained idle. At the same time, neither electricity procurement nor fuel supply was being managed properly, he added.
Referring to the challenges of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, the minister said Bangladesh had relied on Qatar for supplies, but shipments had been halted following bomb attacks.
“We were dependent on Qatar for LNG. Following the bomb attacks, Qatar stopped supplies. We bought LNG that cost $10 to $12 for $30. The government cannot escape the pressure from all sides,” he said.
The minister acknowledged that the government was struggling to provide satisfactory services in the power sector despite purchasing electricity at high prices.
“I will not claim that we are providing good services in the power sector,” he said, adding that the sector was facing a huge deficit and continued to suffer heavy financial losses.