Jan 18, 2026
| Staff Correspondent
As the government moves to approve a 25-year draft Energy and Power Sector Master Plan, civil society organisations have demanded that it be scrapped, alleging it was formulated without democratic processes or transparency.
They said the plan’s social and environmental impacts were not adequately considered and public participation was largely ignored during its preparation.
A total of 13 organisations yesterday held a press conference under the banner of Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED).
The group said the interim government’s role was meant to ensure routine governance, yet it is exceeding its mandate by attempting to impose a long-term, high-risk energy plan with far-reaching consequences.
“Despite directives from the High Court, no meaningful participatory consultation process was followed,” said Monwar Mostafa, network advisor of Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network, in the keynote speech.
Reliance on imported liquified natural gas, coal and oil would remain at 50 after 25 years, posing severe risks to the country’s energy security and economy- Keynote paper read. He said the draft master plan is creating a framework to legitimise future power projects that would largely depend on fossil fuels.
“Although the draft talks about promoting energy transition towards renewables, it will account for only 17 percent in 2050 in reality, but the draft falsely presented it as 44 percent,” he added.
Quoting the draft plan, the keynote paper said reliance on imported liquified natural gas, coal and oil would remain at 50 after 25 years, posing severe risks to the country’s energy security and economy.
In addition, costly and experimental technologies such as hydrogen, ammonia co-firing and carbon capture are presented as solutions, which are unrealistic and could burden the country with future debts, subsidies and environmental crises, it added.
Bangladesh’s carbon emissions would reach 186.3 tonnes carbon dioxide oil equivalent by 2050, which, it said, would directly contradict both the nationally determined contributions and Professor Muhammad Yunus’s “Three Zero” vision of zero poverty, zero unemployment, zero carbon emissions.
“Important aspects like worker rehabilitation, gender equity, agriculture, health, education, and greening of the garments sector are almost entirely overlooked,” it added.
Electricity and energy demand is grossly overestimated in the draft, the civil society representatives said, adding that this would lead to unnecessary production capacity, capacity charges and extra financial burden on citizens.
The organisations included the platform were Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, Waterkeepers Bangladesh, Manusher Jonno Foundation, Centre for Environment and Participatory Research, Amrai Agami, Ethical Trading Initiative Bangladesh, Jet-Net BD, Lawyers for Energy, Environment and Development, Re-Global, Souhardo Youth Foundation, Safety and Rights, and Worker-Led Climate Action Network.
News Link: Scrap draft energy master plan