Solar power will feed 3,000–4,000MW into grid before summer, says Tarique

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has set a target of adding 3,000MW to 4,000MW of solar power to the national grid before next summer, as the government steps up efforts to expand renewable energy.

He announced the target at the opening of the two-day Bangladesh Solar Expo 2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Tarique said the government had introduced the Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance, 2026 to simplify solar installations and expansion, alongside policy support, tax and duty benefits, and financial incentives.

Under the net metering system, the government will buy surplus electricity supplied to the national grid by rooftop solar users at Tk 10.50 per unit, with incentives, by February 2027.

He called on government and private offices, educational institutions, hospitals, factories, businesses and households to use their rooftops to generate solar power.

The government is taking all-out steps to secure long-term power and fuel supplies, including targets to meet 20 percent of the country’s electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040, he said.

“Let us turn sunlight into national wealth, and build a prosperous, self-reliant and eco-friendly Bangladesh for present and future generations,” the prime minister added.

The expo is organised by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), under the theme “Use every inch of roof, raise solar earnings”.

Tarique handed out prizes to winners of an innovative ideas contest entered by more than 300 young people.

The budget has set aside Tk 5 billion for startups, he said, so that no idea is lost for want of money. He toured the expo afterwards.

Calling solar entrepreneurs the “key” to the push, he said the government has set aside an initial Tk 15 billion fund to ease financing, with more to follow.

Participation from across the country proves power can be produced affordably instead of through “plunder in the name of quick rentals”, he said.

According to the prime minister, renewable energy is no longer merely a possibility but an “inevitable reality”.

The country was turned into a wholly import-dependent state, he said, and global war has badly disrupted imports, leaving Bangladesh facing a fuel and power crisis.

The government reportedly gave Tk 430 billion in power subsidies in 2025-26, with similar needs this year.

It has raised diesel stocks, moved to secure coal for coal-fired plants, kept in touch with alternative suppliers and earmarked Tk 60 billion for fuel oil.

Rather than waste time criticising past governments, the priority is meeting demand and ensuring uninterrupted supply, he said.

The BNP government is also reviewing power-sector costs and contracts, stepping up domestic gas exploration, diversifying fuel sources and expanding solar fast.

Tarique said he put panels on his own home and now feeds surplus units into the grid almost daily.

Tax and duty breaks are in place for panels, inverters and batteries, and the government is working to cut equipment prices.

He urged the more than 8,000 service providers in the sector to ensure maintenance and customer service, and power distribution bodies to keep in regular touch with entrepreneurs.

Within a year, he said, 17,000 irrigation pumps should run on solar, with work already started in the Barind region.

The prime minister asked people to use natural light by day and switch off unneeded bulbs, fans and gadgets.

He called on development partners to finance small entrepreneurs and on expatriates to invest.

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