Staff Reporter :
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid urged the World Bank to accelerate its funding in the country’s power and energy sector.
The state minister urged it during a bilateral meeting with visiting World Bank Vice-President for South Asia Region, Martin Raiser, at the ministry in Dhaka.
Two projects for gas meter installation have been approved by the World Bank in the meeting sources said.
It said that the implementation of those projects will begin from January 2023.
Meanwhile, about six more projects in the power sector being funded by the World Bank.
Various issues of mutual interest have been discussed during the meeting.
Energy and Mineral Resources Division Senior Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, Power Division Secretary Md Habibur Rahman, World Bank South Asia Regional Director (Infrastructure) Guangzhe Chen and acting country director Dandan Chen were present during the occasion.
Nasrul Hamid focused on achievements, expectations and challenges in power and energy sector in the event.
The state minister said electric vehicles and hydrogen will contribute greatly to the power and energy sector in the future with the other modern technological innovations. “In formulating a policy on hydrogen energy and electric vehicles to encourage the stakeholders in the sector, the World Bank can play a major role,” the State Minister said.
He urged the World Bank for further cooperation to make the Bangladesh Power Management Institute into an organisation of international standards.
The State Minister said it is important to further strengthen the partnership with the World Bank in capacity building of the entities in the power sector for dealing with wind power, transmission and distribution systems in the country.
