AmCham energy dialogue calls for long-term strategy reform

Bangladesh's energy sector must adopt coordinated strategies and accelerate reforms to meet surging demand and ensure long-term sustainability, leading industry figures told a high-level American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) roundtable in Dhaka on 8 April.

AmCham's Energy & Power Subcommittee convened a focused group discussion at the Sheraton Hotel in Banani, bringing together key stakeholders from across the sector to exchange insights, share best practices, and chart pathways for resilient growth.

AmCham President Syed Ershad Ahmed underscored the need for coordinated short-, medium- and long-term strategies, noting that the chamber would submit a consolidated set of recommendations to the relevant ministries. He emphasised the importance of stakeholder input and a consultative process, rather than unilateral policymaking.

AmCham Vice-President and Chevron Bangladesh President Eric Walker cautioned that Bangladesh's energy demand could double or triple within the next 15 to 20 years. He called for urgent renewed drilling and robust government support for exploration. Walker advocated for a diversified energy strategy—expanding LNG terminals, onshore and offshore exploration, and solar investment—emphasising the need for industry-government collaboration to deliver actionable, long-term solutions.

Excelerate Energy Country Manager Habib Bhuyian warned that prolonged reliance on costly spot LNG could have severe economic repercussions. He called on companies to share challenges and recommendations to present a unified industry position to policymakers. Bhuyian also highlighted the need to standardise e-rickshaws and introduce a national guideline for a mandatory solar-charged interchangeable battery programme. Additional recommendations included differentiated office hours for summer and winter, staggered school timings for demand-side management, and incentives for energy-efficient appliances.

Independent University, Bangladesh Vice-Chancellor Prof M Tamim, a former special assistant to the chief adviser, called for an urgent shift towards domestic energy sources. He noted that increasing output from existing gas fields would require two to five years, while new exploration would take even longer. Tamim urged moving beyond a BAPEX-only approach by engaging international reservoir management firms and stressed the need for clear policy on domestic coal. He identified renewable energy as the fastest solution, suggesting Bangladesh could add 3,000MW of solar capacity by 2030, plus another 2,000MW via rooftop systems, to cut reliance on oil-based power plants and reduce import costs.

SOLshare Managing Director Dr Sebastian Groh set out three core recommendations: rationalising duties on solar and storage technologies to eliminate policy distortions and ensure equal treatment for energy service companies; strengthening disbursement of green finance by enforcing implementation and political commitment; and formalising electric three-wheelers through licensing and regulation to unlock financing and enable their use as distributed energy storage. Groh highlighted that current duty structures favour garment factories over energy service companies, with the latter facing duties exceeding 30% on solar imports, undermining scalability and sectoral growth.

Industry experts called for scaling up renewable energy—particularly rooftop solar—by reforming financing, increasing loan limits, and easing regulatory barriers. They urged modernising the national grid to enable net metering, supporting industrial decarbonisation through targeted financing and efficient technologies, and adopting a holistic energy strategy encompassing fuel supply, generation, and transmission. Recommendations included diversifying energy sources (LPG, domestic coal, offshore exploration, geothermal), expanding LNG and LPG infrastructure via private investment, strengthening grid systems, promoting regional energy cooperation, and improving governance. Experts also stressed accelerating EV and solar integration, unlocking green financing, broadening renewable incentives, and ensuring effective use of green funds.

Participants included representatives from Chevron Bangladesh, Cross-World Trading Company, Delta LPG, Energypac Power Generation Ltd, Excelerate Energy, GE Vernova International LLC, IDCOL, Omera Petroleum Ltd, SOLshare, United Power, LightCastle Partners, PwC Bangladesh, and the United States Embassy in Bangladesh, as well as Prof M Tamim and former BKMEA President Fazlul Haque.