The countrys power and energy sector remained largely bogged with inconsistencies and inefficiencies due lack of a coordinated policy framework and run by arbitrary decisions, experts said.
They have called for a comprehensive and coordinated policy framework that would integrate the entire sector and ensures stakeholders participation.
Experts made the observation at a webinar on Monday, titled "Devising a Participatory Approach for Effective Policy Making in the Power and Energy Sector".
For the last time a National Energy Policy (NEP) was framed in 1996, but in reality, it remained unimplemented, SANEM said.
After a failed effort to update the NEP in 2004, a policy for renewable energy development was mapped out in 2008, but its execution also remained questionable, experts said.
Sayema Haque Bidisha, professor of Economics at Dhaka University and research director of SANEM said "Despite having a plethora of plans in the power and energy sector, they failed to come under any robust policy backing.
She said one crucial challenge is the crumbling structure and lack of coordination among different stakeholders. So fostering a private-public partnership would be more workable and specific policies are needed to utilize solar power in irrigation and housing sector.
Reliable, timely and frequent data flow government agencies is not always available So, there should be a proper roadmap and goals to address both short and long-term challenges.
She further said providing sustainable renewable energy in Bangladesh should have been a crucial, non-negotiable factor.
The government at present must identify the pressing concerns to achieve energy security and improve efficiency, said Sakib Bin Amin, associate professor of economics at North South University.
"We need to focus on time-variant effective energy policies and work together by addressing the problem at the grassroots. Our policies should not focus on short-term solutions only, but also shed light on the mid and long-term solution," he added.
Dipal C Barua, founder and chairman of Bright Green Energy Foundation, said rooftop solar power generation should be given priority instead of exploiting agricultural land.
"Power overcapacity is not a problem, as we have fuel diversification. So, to provide reliable and uninterrupted power, we need to have capacity," said Md Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, assistant professor at United International University.
During the peak demand last summer, the total power generation was around 16,500 megawatts against the capacity of 26,500 megawatts, close to 60 percent of the capacity.
"This capacity is needed to face fuel price vulnerability and uncertainty in the future," he said.
Md Khalilur Rahman Khan, secretary of the Energy Regulatory Commission, said study report by internationally funder project mostly reflects their viewpoints only. Such researches don yield the expected results that we must reckon with.
