Asifur Rahman

Furnace oil: BPC drowning in stock overload

Based on private electricity producers’ request, the Power Development Board (PDB) asked Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to nearly triple its import of furnace oil to around 500,000 tonnes a month so that the electricity demand in the summer can be met.

1w ago

Talks with IMF: Consensus likely on exchange rate, revenue issues

The fourth tranche of the instalment was deferred due to disagreements and now talks are going on to release two tranches at once.

1w ago

Enforced disappearance: Life term or death penalty for culprits

Government officials will face death penalty or minimum life sentence if found guilty of causing the death of enforced disappearance victims, according to a draft ordinance unveiled yesterday.

1w ago

Rooppur payment: Govt to seek US sanction waiver

As much as $900 million has been on hold since 2022 in the central bank's escrow account

1w ago

Govt settling for lower GDP growth target

The interim government may backtrack from its initial plan to set an ambitious GDP growth target of 6 percent for the next fiscal year amid the new economic reality and settle for 5.5 percent.

2w ago

33% hike in gas tariff for new industries

The government has set new gas tariffs for the industrial sector, hiking the price by 33 percent for new units, despite objections from businesses and consumer rights organisations.

2w ago

Inefficiency holding power sector back

Bangladesh’s power sector is burdened by overcapacity and systemic inefficiencies, hindering its ability to deliver reliable and cost-effective electricity, says Prof Dr Saifur Rahman, a Bangladeshi expert based in the US.

1m ago

July Uprising: Student leaders first reached out to Yunus on Aug 1

Protesting students began reaching out to Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus as early as August 1, 2024, through his colleagues, at the peak of the mass uprising against the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

1m ago
June 2, 2024
June 2, 2024

Narrowest budget deficit in a decade as govt to curb expenses

As the government wants to lower expenses, it is likely to contain the budget deficit to 4.6 percent of gross domestic product in the next fiscal year, a level seen a decade ago.

May 17, 2024
May 17, 2024

Power producers may lose zero-duty benefit

Power generation companies, including rental ones, may see an end to a zero-duty benefit on their import of machinery, equipment and spare parts from next fiscal year as the government moves towards generating more revenue curtailing the practice of handing out tax exemptions.

May 16, 2024
May 16, 2024

Rooppur, Matarbari, metros to get highest ADP allocation

The government is set to increase budget allocation for quick completion of the Rooppur nuclear and Matarbari coal-fired power plant projects.

May 14, 2024
May 14, 2024

How to wean Bangladesh off LNG addiction

Bangladesh can reduce its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by 21 percent and save $460 million a year by replacing ageing, inefficient industrial captive power generators with more efficient models and harnessing the waste heat produced by generators for other applications, says a study.

May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024

Efficient generators at industries can slash LNG imports by 21pc: study

Analysing data from 73 gas-fired captive generators at 51 industries with a combined capacity of around 250 megawatts (MW), the IEEFA said the average efficiency of these generators is only 35.38 percent

May 8, 2024
May 8, 2024

ADP to see record foreign funds next fiscal year

Amid the crisis of dollars, the next Annual Development Programme will have a record Tk 1 lakh crore allocation from foreign funds.

April 28, 2024
April 28, 2024

Improving summer power supply: Govt pays half the subsidy power ministry needs

The Finance Division last week disbursed Tk 1,500 crore in subsidy against the power ministry’s demand for the immediate release of Tk 3,000 crore to boost electricity supply during the summer months.

April 26, 2024
April 26, 2024

Bangladesh won’t benefit from global LNG oversupply

The global liquefied natural gas supply capacity will increase drastically in future and the prices will stay low, but Bangladesh is not likely to reap the benefit due to fiscal challenges, according to a global report.

April 25, 2024
April 25, 2024

Rural areas bear the brunt of power outage

Hundreds of thousands of people in the rural areas have been subjected to hours of power outage despite record-setting generation of electricity over the last few days.

April 21, 2024
April 21, 2024

Airlines against move to adjust jet fuel price under new BPC formula

As per the new formula, the price of jet fuel will be calculated each month by adding the average rate quoted by the Platts Asia Pacific/Arab Gulf (APAG) Marketscan for the preceding month with other expenses.