Mahbuba Akbar

Bangladesh's energy sector stands at a critical crossroads. Whilst electricity access has expanded dramatically, with near-universal coverage and per capita consumption rising sharply, this progress has come at enormous cost: billions in capacity payments to private power plants, substantial losses for the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), and a heavy annual burden from imported fossil fuels that strains foreign reserves and threatens energy security. Reliance on fossil fuels has nearly doubled the country's CO₂ emissions in recent years and is a major contributor to severe air pollution and environmental degradation affecting every citizen.