With the Payra Power Plant closing down earlier this month, it's time to take a long, hard look at our energy generation practices.
Coal -- aside from gas -- has been our go to option for power generation, with one report indicating that coal power will amass a share of 12.6% in the total annual generation of the country by 2032. Not only does this put an economic burden on the general populace, with per unit cost of energy sky-rocketing in recent times, but when taking into account the broader ecological consequences and our overall development ambitions, relying on coal is simply unsustainable in the long run.
In the international market, coal costs as much as $245 per ton, 88% higher than the $130 ton considered in FY 2021-22 by the Bangladesh Power Development Board. At a local level, Bangladesh has only developed one coal mine in Barapukuria which is scarcely enough to meet the rising power demand of the country.
Given the ecological cost of coal mining, and Bangladesh's recent commitments towards fighting climate change, it is high time we left coal behind.
The future lies in renewable sources of energy, and Bangladesh would only fall behind if it wanted to rely on such an antiquated, ecologically devastating method of power generation.
The logical way forward is to invest in renewables. Bangladesh is ripe for green energy generation methods such as solar power and the likes. Both public and private sector actors must behave pro-actively and tap into the huge potential this sector provides.
Bangladesh has already taken a leading role when it comes to climate conservation. We can do the same for renewable energy generation as well.
