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Plan to import 40pc power to meet demand by 2050
Electricity symbol
Jehangir Hussain
The government has plans to import 40 per cent of 85,000 MW, the projected electricity demand by 2050.
The revised Integrated Energy and Power Master Plan (IEPMP) would produce around 85,000 MW of electricity of which 38,000 MW would be from renewable sources, to meet the projected demand.
"With dedicated transmission lines, we want to build large-scale power connectivity with Nepal, Bhutan and India. We are installing dedicated transmission lines to bring 1,600 MW of electricity from Jharkhand, India, to get hassle free electricity,” said State Minister of Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid.
Bangladesh imports 1,160MW of electricity from India through Baharampur-Bheramara and Tripura-Cumilla cross-border grid lines.
On March 15, 2021, government engaged a Tokyo-based consulting firm to prepare the integrated master plan to generate green or renewable energy.
The plan was revised twice since then.
Hamid said that discussions were on with Nepal, Bhutan and India, to develop hydropower projects in Nepal.
“We want to generate 26 per cent of electricity from natural gas, 10 per cent from hydro projects, five per cent from ammonia, five per cent from nuclear and liquid fuel, nine per cent from coal and the remaining 40 per cent would be imported from the neighboring countries,” a senior official said.
Bangladesh generates 52 per cent of electricity from natural gas, 32 per cent from liquid fuel, eight per cent from coal and the remaining eight per cent is imported, he said.
“Our plan is to generate 20,000 MW of electricity using wind, 12,000 MW from rooftop solar panels and 6,000 MW using solar power,” said Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain.
In 2020, Bangladesh generated around 70 per cent of electricity using gas, coal accounted for about five per cent.
Currently, the country's power generation capacity is about 22,395 MW, of which about 50 percent or 10,869 MW is generated using gas, less than 10 percent or 1,768 MW, using coal and about 30 per cent of power is generated using imported liquid fuel.
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