UNB :
COP26 Regional Ambassador Ken O’Flaherty has said it is possible for countries like Bangladesh to significantly expand its renewable energy sector as it has been the cheapest option for new energy in Asian countries.
“It’s clear that over the next decade the cost of renewable energy will continue to fall. So countries which don’t invest in renewable energy risk losing competitive advantage,” he told UNB in an interview at the British High Commissioner’s residence here.
Across the region, the envoy said, he is seeing governments recognize the opportunities offered by renewable energy and said countries like Bangladesh can look into potential cooperation at regional level on hydropower.
He thinks the countries which want to grow faster over the next decade will need to be harnessing renewable energy.
Ambassador Ken said there is lot of interest in investing renewable energy and hydropower but what the investors need is a clear signal from the government.
“We’re working with the governments like Bangladesh to ensure that there’s a clear framework for supporting that investment in domestic and regional power systems,” said the envoy.
Ken, who was appointed UK government’s COP26 Regional Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia in March 2020, said renewable energy is the cheapest source of energy worldwide compared to coal.
Talking about clean and cheap energy, he said they think there is a strong appetite for it and they have seen countries in Asia announcing their policies to move away from coal. “We’re seeing more and more countries to adopt similar policies. I’m very confident that ahead of COP26, we’ll see more countries in this region adopt net zero target.”
