Government Issues Urgent Directive To All District Councils to Save Electricity

The government has issued an urgent directive to all district councils to ensure sustainable energy use and save electricity across the country. All district council facilities have been instructed to install rooftop solar power systems by January 31, 2027.

The District Council Branch of the Local Government Division issued the directive on September 15. The letter, issued in line with a September 1 directive from the Power Division, was sent to the administrators and chief executive officers of all district councils across the country.

According to the directive, rooftop solar power systems must be installed at all main government office buildings at the district and upazila levels under the Local Government Division, as well as facilities under district councils. These include district council buildings, auditoriums, dak bungalows, marketplaces and other buildings.

Solar power systems with a minimum battery backup of two hours have been made mandatory for each facility. The directive said funds from the Annual Development Programme (ADP) or revenue funds may be used for this purpose. It also said that after meeting the facility’s own electricity demand through solar power, the surplus electricity must be supplied to the national grid under the net metering system.

Under the Net Metering Guideline, 2025, district councils will receive Tk 10.50 per unit for electricity supplied to the national grid. This will create an opportunity to increase the revenue of district councils.

The directive asked financially self-sufficient district councils to ensure the use of solar power with funding from their own revenue and ADP allocations, as well as take initiatives to expand its use commercially. On the other hand, district councils that are not financially self-sufficient will implement the programme with financial and technical assistance from companies listed by