Nov 18, 2025
| Senior Correspondent
Groups call on political parties to prioritise sustainable energy, transparency, and climate resilience.
Civil society organisations have appealed to all political parties to include strong renewable energy policies in their upcoming election manifestos, stressing the need for a fair energy transition, environmental protection, and climate resilience.
At a press conference held on Tuesday at Dhaka Reporters Unity, representatives from Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies (BILS), and others highlighted the country’s growing electricity consumption and rising vulnerabilities in energy supply.
They criticised heavy fossil fuel subsidies that have cost taxpayers trillions of takas and benefited a small group of energy businessmen, while accelerating carbon emissions and environmental damage. The groups also warned of excess power plant capacity and declining domestic gas production, threatening energy security.
The coalition presented a 12-point “Citizens’ Charter” with key demands:
Formulate a comprehensive National Energy Policy ensuring climate resilience, economic stability, and energy security, drafted with civil society and expert input.
Amend procurement laws to prevent corruption and ensure full public disclosure of power agreements under the Right to Information Act; prosecute corruption and recover laundered funds.
Gradually phase out fossil fuel subsidies to encourage industries and households to shift to affordable renewable energy; mandate 30% renewable use by 2030 and 40% by 2041, supported by loans and tax incentives.
Halt approval of new fossil fuel plants; close inefficient plants and replace with renewables, providing alternative employment to affected workers; cancel capacity charges for underperforming plants.
Stop approval of new LNG terminals; close old gas-fired plants and redirect gas to fertiliser factories; encourage industrial switch from gas to electricity; control gas leakage and install meters nationwide.
Ensure 30% renewable energy by 2030, 40% by 2041, and 100% by 2050 in all national and sector plans; allocate at least 40% of power sector budget to renewables.
Reduce import duty on electric vehicles and cut subsidies on engine-powered vehicles by at least 75%; rationalise duties on high-quality battery technologies.
Modernise the national grid into a smart grid; provide 25% subsidies and up to 70% easy loans for rooftop solar, agricultural solar pumps, and decentralised solar solutions; offer an additional 10% subsidy for marginalised groups.
Launch renewable energy skill development and training programmes for unemployed youth, women, indigenous communities, and workers, with easy-loan facilities.
Phase out unproven “advanced technologies” like ammonia, hydrogen, CCS, and waste-to-energy; instead, scale up renewables, waste segregation, recycling, and organic fertiliser to build a circular green economy.
Ensure representation of women, farmers, workers, fisherfolk, indigenous, and marginalised communities in energy policies and planning; guarantee local community benefits and voices in energy projects.
Prohibit forced land acquisition for energy projects; introduce long-term lease models with annual compensation for affected farmers; promote agrivoltaics, floating solar, and dual land-use with incentives.
Civil society groups urged political parties to adopt these commitments to ensure affordable, just, and climate-resilient energy for Bangladesh.
News link: Civil society urges renewable energy commitments in election manifestos