Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmud Tuku has said that international tenders will be invited within the next 4 to 5 days for offshore oil and gas exploration.
He said that the government wants to reduce import dependence and move towards affordable energy.
He said this at a seminar on renewable energy at the Council Hall of the Engineers Institution in Ramna of Dhaka on Monday.
The minister said that the renewable energy policy will be finalized by next June, which will be investment-friendly. Solar projects canceled during the interim government will also be reviewed again. A committee has already been formed for this. Eligible projects will be re-approved. The government will provide policy support so that the people get electricity at low cost. The government is giving top priority to renewable energy.
According to him, the previous government created a completely import-dependent energy system because it had opportunities for money laundering.
Regarding the potential of solar power, he said, "If a country like Pakistan can go for 27,000 MW solar power generation, then Bangladesh can, too. For this, policy support will be increased in the solar sector. There are plans to use the private land of the Railways, Water Resources, Roads and Urban Development Department and the Land Ministry for solar power projects."
The minister said, “A target of 5,000 MW solar power generation has been set in the next five years, at a rate of 1,000 MW per year. People should be brought towards solar power not by intimidating them, but by giving incentives.”
Regarding the energy crisis, he said, "I have been saying for a long time that there is no oil crisis. The crisis was in the minds of the people. The situation in the oil pipelines became normal only after the formation of a 10-member committee in Parliament."
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
