Australians eye BD’s clean energy market

A visiting Australian clean-energy delegation has identified investment, technology transfer and joint venture opportunities in Bangladesh’s renewable energy sector, saying Australian expertise could help meet the country’s growing energy demand while creating business opportunities for both countries.

The delegation concluded its October 24�"27 visit with a media briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Tuesday, organised by the Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA). The Renewable Energy Council Asia-Pacific (RECAP), Smart Energy Council and Austrade supported the visit.

RECAP CEO John Grimes said the delegation was led by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) under the Australian Government’s Accessing New Markets Initiative. It included exporters specialising in battery storage, solar systems, electrical engineering, IT infrastructure, carbon project development and electric vehicle charging networks.

Grimes said Bangladesh had made significant progress in expanding electricity access and infrastructure, but ensuring secure, affordable and sustainable energy supplies remained a major challenge.

Welcoming Bangladesh’s Renewable Energy Policy 2025, which targets 20 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and 40 per cent by 2041, he said renewables accounted for around 5 per cent of the country’s total installed power generation capacity.