There is absolutely no doubt that, under the current administration’s watch, Bangladesh has witnessed unprecedented development over the last decade. The fact that the Padma Bridge today stands complete is only the latest testament to this fact.
However, the recent announcement that the government is now mulling area-based, time-specific power cuts as a measure to offset the current fuel crisis gives us some pause.
Frequent power cuts, or load-shedding as was the nomenclature back in the day, were a fact of life for Bangladeshis as far back as 15 years ago. But that was the past, and there is absolutely no scope for it to be the case anymore, especially now that entire industries rely completely on a stable supply of power 24/7.
While it is absolutely understandable that the current global energy crisis would hit Bangladesh eventually, given just how formative a stage our industries are in at this point, this is something that the administration should have prepared for.
For years, experts and advocates have ceaselessly called for exploration of renewable sources of energy as one possible way that we could complement our existing sources of energy. And yet, far from keeping the finger on the pulse, the government recently enacted budgetary policies that seek to slap on sizable import taxes on devices such as solar panels.
The less said about projects such as the Rampal coal-fired power plant and the Rooppur nuclear plant -- which still remain mired in bureaucracy and controversy -- the better.
Our country has achieved tremendous development and prosperity over the past few years, which has caught even the most ardent skeptics of Bangladesh off-guard. And yet, energy remains one key area where we clearly have a lot more room to grow.
We need to invest in renewables and we need to fast-track troubled projects such as Rooppur and Rampal. Only then can we truly leave the days of darkness in the past.
