DHAKA, Nov 3: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today said the government aims to add 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts of solar power to the national grid before next summer, if all goes to plan, arguing that the electricity crisis can be tackled through affordable solar rather than “looting” in the name of quick-rental power plants.

Inaugurating the two-day Bangladesh Solar Expo 2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre, he described renewable energy as no longer merely promising but an unavoidable reality for the country.

The government has set targets of generating 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040, he said. It has initially allocated Tk 1,500 crore to ease financing for the sector and enacted the Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance 2026, along with tax, tariff and financial incentives.

From February 2027, surplus electricity fed into the grid under net metering will be bought at Tk 10.50 per unit, including incentives, he said.

The premier said the country’s heavy dependence on imported energy had left it vulnerable to global supply disruptions, and the government provided Tk 43,000 crore in power-sector subsidies in the 2025-26 fiscal year. He urged development partners and expatriate Bangladeshis to invest in solar projects, and asked citizens to use electricity prudently.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku chaired the event, which was jointly organised by the Power Division and the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL).