Dhaka:The government is undertaking initiatives to address the energy crisis, with a goal to produce 30 percent of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2030, as stated by Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the minister announced these plans during the inauguration of the Second Renewable Energy Fest 2026 at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). The event, organized in collaboration with ActionAid Bangladesh, Just Energy Transition Network Bangladesh (JETnet-BD), and BUET's Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), aims to promote renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions.
Minister Tuku highlighted the impact of energy sector mismanagement over the past 17 years, stating that it would affect Bangladesh for a hundred years. He criticized previous quick-rental power policies and mentioned the financial burden of purchasing LNG from the spot market. He also addressed the difficulties in rural electricity distribution, citing the lack of fault detectors on rural lines, which complicates the resolution of technical issues.
The minister discussed the challenges of integrating nuclear power without proper infrastructure and emphasized the importance of expanding solar power in rural areas. He urged NGOs to assist in this expansion and suggested modernizing the electricity grid to accommodate solar power fluctuations.
Distinguished guests, including representatives from the European Union, Australia, and Pakistan, attended the renewable energy festival, showing international interest in Bangladesh's energy transition efforts.