At 50, green, cost-effective power generation main challenge for BPDB
Talking about the golden jubilee of BPDB, Nasrul Hamid said that the Power Development Board had started its journey with just 500MW of electricity generation capacity in 1975 which has now reached 25,000MW – including captive and import power
On its 50th founding anniversary, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) now looks for an alternative to fossil fuels to generate green and cost-effective electricity which is a major challenge for the state-owned agency.
"To unlock the challenge, the board – with the guidance of the government – is planning to generate hydrogen power which is being tested in different countries around the world," State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said at a Meet the Press on Tuesday.
"Big changes are coming ahead," he said at the event jointly organised by the BPDB and the Forum for Energy Reporters Bangladesh (FERB) on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the board at the Bidyut Bhaban in the capital.
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"We are going to have a hydrogen policy in the Integrated Energy and Power Master Plan. Electricity can be generated with this fuel in the future. We are checking this option and feasibility is under process," he added.
BPDB Chairman Engineer Md Mahbubur Rahman and FERB Chairman Shamim Jahangir also spoke at the function moderated by FERB Executive Director Rishan Nasrullah.
Regarding a recent Russian proposal to sell crude oil to Bangladesh, he said that Bangladesh is not importing crude oil from Russia as the country's lone refinery can refine light crude oil while the crude oil that Russia wants to export is much heavier.
Talking about the golden jubilee of BPDB, Nasrul Hamid said that the Power Development Board had started its journey with just 500MW of electricity generation capacity in 1975 which has now reached 25,000MW – including captive and import power.
Marking it as a historic day, the state minister said, "BPDB officials and employees have been performing a mammoth task for more than 50 years."
He called upon them to bring more diversity to electricity generation and distribution in the future.
Before the press briefing, Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the golden jubilee celebration programme by releasing pigeons and balloons.
BPDB Chairman Engineer Md Mahbubur Rahman said, "We have had a very difficult time in the last 50 years. We want to survive, improve and expand on our own merits."
