Japanese firm urged to drop net-zero concept in preparing integrated energy master plan

Prime Minister's Energy Advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chodhury has asked the Japanese firm to drop the net-zero concept in preparing the integrated energy and power master plan (IEPMP) saying that this is not applicable for Bangladesh.

He made the call while addressing the second stakeholder meeting on IEPMP at hotel International Continental, Dhaka on Sunday.

The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) jointly organized the function. The JICA has been funding the project to prepare the IEPMP upto 2050.

"Bangladesh is the least carbon emitting country. So, what is applicable for Bangladesh might not be applicable for other countries," said Tawfiq Elahi.

At the same function, Japanese Ambassador Ito Noaki refuted an allegation of the Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) that Japan has been dumping obsolete technology and machines in the power sector in Bangladesh.

"I found this allegation unfounded", said the Japanese envoy urging the TIB to publish detailed reports based on documents in this regard.

He said this is the third time the JICA team has been cooperating with Bangladesh to prepare a master plan for the power and energy sector.

This plan will play an important role in the development of the energy and power sector in Bangladesh, he added.

The Japanese ambassador appreciated Bangladesh for canceling a number of coal-fired power plant plants and targeting 40 percent of electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2041.

The function, with senior secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division Mahbub Hossain in the chair, was also addressed by power secretary Habibur Rahman, and JICA chief representative to Bangladesh Hayakawa Yuho.

JICA study team leader Ichiro Kutani made a presentation on the update on the proposed IEPMP while other members of the team made different presentation on different issues of the plan while Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) chairman Mahbubur Rahman, Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) managing director Bikash Dewan also took party in the discussion meeting.

In their presentations, JICA team members presented different forecasts on demand and supply of primary energy and electricity upto 2050.

They hinted that newer technologies will be applied in addressing demand and supply issues in the energy and power sector on the basis of the net-zero concepts where zero carbon emission will get highest priority.