Interim Govt's Scorecard In Energy Sector

From August 2024 to mid-June 2025, ten months have whistled past. For a non-political, unelected regime inheriting a trouble-prone energy and power sector, it is not enough time to restructure, reorganize, and turn things around. But ten months is also not too little to expect formulation of policy changes, planning of reforms, and launching of programs for good governance, transparency, and accountability. Judging from the prevailing situation in Bangladesh's power and energy sector, the interim government could have introduced fundamental changes to bring the derailed sector back on track. Achieving sustainable energy security still appears to be a significant struggle.

- Saleque Sufi

The government has not changed much; the bureaucracy-dominated energy and power sector administration could neither improve governance, nor create incentives for employees, nor ensure transparency and accountability. The Integrated Energy and Power Master Plan (IEPMP) has not been updated. The government has made no decision on exploiting discovered coal reserves, nor has it expedited exploration of petroleum resources, both onshore and offshore. As a result, the sustainable supply of primary fuel for energy generation remains in crisis.

Although the government managed to provide funds to BPDB and Petrobangla to pay off outstanding dues, it failed to recover massive arrears from energy and power users. Domestic gas field production continues to deplete alarmingly, increasing reliance on imported LNG. A crisis could erupt if the LNG supply is disrupted during the high monsoon. However, power supply remains under control, mainly because demand hasn't reached the high levels seen last year. In brief, the situation is business as usual. The woes of end users remain unaddressed. People still cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel.

The government repealed the Quick Enhancement of Electricity and Energy Supply (Special Provisions) Act 2010, but simultaneously protected all existing contracts. It also reversed amendments to the BERC Act, which allowed the government to set tariffs and fuel prices. However, the tariff adjustments already made remain protected, effectively preventing BERC from conducting reviews. It is difficult to say if end users benefited at all from these two actions by the interim government.