Speakers at a citizen dialogue said on Thursday that knowledge-based decision-making should be the basis of the energy sector policies to combat corruption, safeguard the environment, and address climate change risks.
They chartered 16 key reforms issues in the power and energy sector including the formation of an independent public inquiry commission.
The recommendations were presented at a press conference titled "Reform in Power and Energy Sector: Citizens' Expectations," held at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity, Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), a forum for of progressive activists and organizations arranged the dialogue co-ordinate by BWGED secretary Hasan Mehedi.
"It's time to prioritise knowledge in policy-making. We experienced that a powerful circle has taken control of the energy and power sector comprising with the different groups .. it should not be continue, it must be dismantled," Khandaker Golam Moazzem, research director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) remarks.
He said there has been a long-standing reluctance to adopt knowledge-based policies. Every issues were done for or against a group, it was never based on knowledge thus we are paying for.
"Past laws served individual or group interests, Ministry's decisions should be transparent and PPAs should be publicly available for ensuring accountability here. We want to see that the future laws must focus on public welfare and be based on scientific evidence," he said.
"Energy and power sector has been crippled by the previous government's misguided policies, corruption, political favoritism, and mismanagement," said BWGED secretary Hasan Mehedi, while presenting the keynote paper.
"The sector, which was supposed to be a strong asset for the state, has now become a burden," Mehedi noted. He also criticised the lack of progress in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, citing that gas-based power plants operate only 49.3 per cent of the time, while remaining idle for the other 51 per cent.
"Despite this inefficiency, new LNG-based power plants are still being approved, which is completely unacceptable. It's time to halt these failed projects and focus on sustainable and renewable energy," Mehedi added.
Speakers at the event included Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman, director of Stamford University's Atmospheric Pollution Studies Center, and Munir Uddin Shamim, manager of the Ethical Trading Initiative.
The group's demands include the immediate repeal of the Special Provisions Act 2010 for quick power and energy supply; forming an independent inquiry commission; making Initial Environmental Examinations (IEE) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) mandatory and public; bringing fossil-fuel-based power plants under a 'no electricity, no pay' policy; cancelling all fossil-fuel projects that are approved but not yet under construction, and stopping the construction of new LNG terminals.
Avoid uptaking Japan dominated unproven and false technologies like CCS and ammonia co-firing, remove the tax of 26 per cent -56 per cent tax on Renewable Energy, and strengthen SREDA foe a dedicated RE unit.
However, it also includes the recommendations by Dr Moazzem of CPD, these are, prioritise CSOs voices from local to national level, knowledge-based decision-making should be the basis of the energy sector policies, prioritizing National Experts.
All new plants should be adopted through Competitive Bidding, and the Public Procurement Act should be applied, prioritizing Small RE Projects: Small RE plants and distributed RE systems should be prioritized, International investments should be sought for building smart grids and solar panel production units, ensuring national energy efficiency, CPD recommended.
