A special parliamentary committee formed to review the country’s recent energy situation has recommended expanding Bangladesh’s strategic fuel reserves to ensure storage capacity for at least three months, diversifying import sources, and introducing comprehensive automation and digital monitoring across the energy supply chain.
The committee’s chairman, Iqbal Hassan Mahmood, placed the report before the Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday, the opening day of the second session of the 13th JS.
According to the report, the issue was raised in the first session of the 13th JS as an urgent matter of public importance after the recent energy situation caused temporary disruptions in fuel supply, distribution, and market management across the country.
To determine the necessary course of action, a 10-member special committee comprising members from both the treasury and opposition benches was formed on 26 April, during the first session of the JS under Article 76 of the Constitution and Rule 266 of the Rules of Procedure.
The committee held two meetings before finalising its recommendations.
Among its key recommendations, the committee called for stronger legal measures to curb illegal fuel stockpiling and smuggling, while increasing the use of alternative energy sources, including LNG and renewable energy.
It also urged the speedy implementation of the Dhaka-Chattogram pipeline, the Single Point Mooring (SPM) project, and the Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL)-2 expansion project. The report recommended strengthening public awareness campaigns and conducting studies on allowing private-sector fuel imports alongside the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.
It further proposed mandatory rooftop solar panel installations with stricter monitoring, measures to reduce system losses, and integrated planning for power generation from oil, gas, coal, solar, and wind sources.
The committee observed that the recent energy situation had created an important opportunity to reassess Bangladesh’s energy security framework. It said that volatility in global energy markets and evolving geopolitical realities underscored the need for a more stable, diversified, and technology-driven long-term energy policy, infrastructure, and supply system.
The committee said that the recent situation should serve as a significant warning for Bangladesh.
While the immediate challenges had been managed successfully, it stressed that ensuring long-term energy security would require structural reforms, infrastructure development, diversification of energy sources, and comprehensive national planning.
Opposition members of the committee submitted a separate set of recommendations.
They proposed that the government commission an independent study by politically neutral experts to forecast future electricity and energy demand, cautioning against inflated demand projections.
They said that additional generation capacity might not be necessary at present.
The opposition members also advocated greater utilisation of domestic coal resources, citing coal-fired power generation as the most cost-effective option.
They recommended finding economical and safe solutions for supplying coal from Barapukuria to other coal-based power plants or selling excess coal to prevent spontaneous combustion.
On natural gas, the opposition members proposed that imported gas remained significantly more expensive than domestically produced gas. They recommended increasing local gas production through workovers of existing wells, strengthening BAPEX and national technical capacity, expanding gas infrastructure, and accelerating offshore exploration with support from reputable international companies through foreign direct investment.
They urged the government to continue transparent exploration for crude oil following reports of a crude oil discovery in Sylhet and indications of potential reserves elsewhere in the country.
The opposition members also called for automated gauging systems at oil depots and terminals and modern digital monitoring systems covering every stage of fuel distribution from tankers to end users.
For the renewable energy sector, the opposition members recommended accelerating large-scale solar power projects, expanding energy storage capacity, and promoting rooftop solar installations through net metering policies.
They also proposed integrating battery storage systems and increasing solar power’s share of national electricity demand from about 1 per cent to at least 10 per cent by 2030.
They also recommended withdrawing all taxes on imported solar modules and related equipment.
The opposition members also recommended exploring micro-hydropower and other hydropower opportunities, reducing government vehicle use during energy shortages, and formulating a long-term energy security roadmap through broad consultations.
They further stressed the need to diversify the country’s energy mix and called for research into hydrogen fuel technology, biogas, and waste-to-energy solutions.
