Bangladesh has added roughly 200 megawatts of solar power to its national grid through net metering connections in the first six months of the interim government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, according to a progress report from the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. Read Here
The expansion fulfills a renewable energy pledge from the government’s election manifesto and forms part of a broader 180-day action plan prioritizing net metering, energy storage, grid stability and efficiency, the report said. The Power Division achieved full implementation of its targets, while the Energy and Mineral Resources Division reached 90.55 percent, putting combined progress at 95.28 percent.
Authorities have also finalized a National Renewable Energy Development Strategy covering 2026 to 2030, alongside a longer-term National Renewable Energy Roadmap prepared by the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority. One of four proposed 10-megawatt solar plants has won approval under the merchant power policy, with another pending.
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To bolster grid reliability, the government is installing Battery Energy Storage Systems with 120-megawatt and 60-megawatt capacities at the Ishwardi and Bhulta substations, respectively. A feasibility study for a barge-mounted power plant in Bhola has also been submitted.
On the fossil fuel side, seven new gas wells and workover activity at four others are 95 percent complete, adding a combined 32.02 million cubic feet of gas daily to the national grid. Officials are advancing plans for a floating LNG terminal at Maheshkhali under a government-to-government arrangement, alongside expressions of interest for a land-based terminal and refinery modernization.
System losses in the power sector fell to 7.18 percent by June, down 1.35 percentage points from January’s 8.03 percent, the report said, as regulators moved forward with public hearings to set tariffs for gas, LPG, furnace oil and jet fuel.