New Age | Activists are calling on the government to invest in renewable energy

Activists and environmental experts at a discussion on Sunday called on the government to invest in renewable energy instead of fossil fuel-based energy to sustainably address the country’s energy crisis.

The event, organised by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association and the Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network, was held in Dhaka’s Eskaton district, according to a press release.

CLEAN CEO Hasan Mehedi in his keynote speech stated that Bangladesh has enough space to produce renewable energy.

He stressed that the country needs 2,07,294 acres of land to meet its renewable energy requirement while it has a potential of 4,02,617 acres to implement this plan.

BD Rahmatullah, former CEO of Power Cell, noted that a 100-megawatt fossil fuel-fired power plant cost 1,300 crore to build, while a renewable energy plant required just 600-700 crore.

He said that Bangladesh has the technical capacity to build renewable energy plants, but is met with reluctance from the administration and politicians.

Center for Policy Dialogue executive director Fahmida Khatun noted that a significant portion of the budget was allocated to the energy sector, but no specific portion was allocated for renewable energy.

Change Initiative Chief Executive M. Zakir Hossain Khan called for a phase-out of taxes on renewable energy equipment and a carbon tax on carbon-producing products.

BELA Chief Executive Officer Syeda Rizwana Hasan championed the passage of the Renewable Energy Sources Act, which would facilitate the transition from fossil fuel-based energy to renewable energy.