Energy and power crisis need action, not words

The people of the country are suffering from the energy and power supply crisis. In the wake of the Ukraine war and the successive wars in Iran and the Middle East, the world’s energy security has been facing a kind of uncertainty and the strain of inflation for the past several years. But after taking charge through a landslide victory in the election, the BNP government has been facing various challenges, including the shattered economy left behind by the previous government. In particular, power load-shedding and the gas crisis have created additional pressure on the government. The associates of the ousted autocrat and its party activists lying low have become desperate to prove the government’s failure by spreading misinformation on social media. None of the country’s economic goals can be achieved without overcoming the energy and power supply crisis. To keep Mr. Tarique Rahman’s trillion-dollar economic plan and targets on track, energy and power security and proper implementation of plans for this sector must come first. The first step in overcoming any major crisis is to understand its nature and focus on taking effective measures to address it. A few days ago, a statement by the Energy and Power Minister created a sense of anger and frustration among businesspeople and the general public. But in the meantime, considerable progress and optimism have become visible. Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman, speaking during the question-and-answer session in Parliament, has said that an integrated short-, medium- and long-term action plan will be implemented to overcome the energy crisis.

There is no way to deny the priority of the energy and power sector for any developing economy. Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman has adopted a well-thought-out plan to turn the country into a trillion-dollar economy by the end of his government’s first term. The shortage and dilapidated condition of the energy and power sector have emerged as major obstacles to that plan. However, the hopeful aspect is that, at the very outset of the government’s new action plan, the overall reality of this most important sector has been brought before the government and the public, and the energy policy and energy security issues of the coming days are being brought under an appropriate action plan in light of that reality. Under its 10-year energy and power plan, the government is going to take a policy decision to provide incentives for investment in alternative or renewable energy alongside conventional fossil fuel-dependent power plants. The opportunity to financially benefit by connecting surplus electricity generated from solar panels to the national grid will encourage this sector. Alongside solar power, the government must take effective initiatives to encourage domestic and foreign investment in air panels or wind power. However, the government’s primary goal at this moment should be to take swift and effective measures to address the ongoing power shortage, namely load-shedding and the gas crisis, across the country. Effective steps must be taken quickly to extract energy from the blocks in the Bay of Bengal. While neighbouring countries have been economically benefiting from extracting energy resources from their maritime areas in the Bay of Bengal for a decade, the previous Awami fascist government made the country’s energy security heavily dependent on foreign sources by privately purchasing LNG from abroad to meet demand and engaging in commission trading. Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman’s government must break away from this trend and adopt an integrated and sustainable energy policy.

The proper handling of the energy and power supply crisis is a major catalyst for the country’s economic prospects and national security in the days ahead. The success of the government’s long-term plan will depend on the success of its emergency measures to resolve the ongoing power crisis. In this regard, the State Minister for Power has expressed hope for visible improvement in the power situation within the next 15 days. At the same time, BNP Acting Secretary General Mr. Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed has said that the gas crisis could be overcome within the next one to one and a half weeks with the start of gas transmission from the gas terminal in Maheshkhali. However, mere words are not enough. People want to see visible progress in implementing immediate alternative measures to address the gas and power crises. The reduction of the September LPG price by Tk 13 for a 12-kilogramme cylinder, announced yesterday, offers an indication that the gas crisis may be overcome. The energy and power supply crisis is part of a global geopolitical crisis. It has a direct connection with regional and international politics. Much, in particular, depends on the underlying role of bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world’s major energy powers. In this regard, Iran’s announcement of special concessions for Bangladeshi vessels in the Strait of Hormuz while importing LNG from Qatar is a major achievement. At the same time, Iran’s positive signal regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the Makkah Security Pact is an indication of a new reality for Bangladesh. Although Bangladesh may receive special benefits or goodwill from regional geopolitical partners such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and Türkiye, the roles of the United States and neighbouring India will have to be dealt with differently. However, there can be no compromise over the sovereignty of the country’s energy security. People’s suffering over gas and power cannot be justified by citing economic or global crises. The government should place greater emphasis on developing old gas fields while also extracting gas from new gas fields. At the same time, it is essential to put an end to indecision and prolonged delays over coal extraction from the Phulbari coal mine. Whatever lies behind the public suffering caused by the gas and power crisis, the entire responsibility and disrepute are falling on the Prime Minister. The conventional picture of bureaucratic red tape and indecision must now change. The Prime Minister himself must take swift decisions on matters of vital importance to energy security and national security.