In this episode, the panel discusses Bangladesh’s ongoing energy crisis. The experts unearth the root causes behind the country’s severe energy shortages, historical shifts in national energy policies, the financial pressures of spot purchases, and strategic pathways toward sustainable solutions.
Panelists:
Prof. Mohammad Tamim, Vice Chancelor, IUB
Rubaiya Binte Mustafiz, Manager in Advisory, PricewaterCoopers
Aaqib Md. Shatil, Special Correspondent, Netra News
Subail Bin Alam, Trustee, Panam Institute
Rushad Faridi, Trustee, Panam Institute
Taukir Aziz, Trustee, Panam Institute
Moderator
Rubaiyath Sarwar, General Secretary, Panam Institute
This panel discussion provides several key insights to Bangladesh’s energy crisis
- Unplanned and excessive growth in gas consumption led to a gas crisis starting around 2007 (resulting in a 200–300 million cubic foot shortage). This triggered a broader power crisis, forced expensive spot purchases leading to a financial/money crunch, and exposed the fact that the current power grid is not yet ready to support a mixed renewable energy portfolio.
- The historical roots and contemporary repercussions of the Bangladesh’s gas and power shortages, which have severely impacted industrial production and factory operations.
- Bangladesh’s economy shifted over decades into a heavily gas-dependent model, eventually leading to unplanned demand growth, a major supply deficit starting around 2007, and heavy reliance on costly spot-market purchases.
- Resolving the energy crisis requires moving past partisan blame to establish a strong political consensus, active citizen participation, strict efficiency management, and strategic reallocation — drawing lessons from international models like Vietnam to systematically manage usage and shorten the crisis’s duration.