Chief Whip Announces Power Surplus Within a Year; Solar Power to Get Tax Breaks and Government Purchase Pledges

Within the next one year, Bangladesh will have a surplus of electricity — there will not even be a place found to sell it, the ruling party's Chief Whip in the Jatiya Sangsad, Nurul Islam Moni, has commented. Saying this goal will be achieved through the expansion of solar power, he also announced a raft of benefits including tax exemptions.

He made the remarks on Sunday afternoon (18 October) while speaking as chief guest at a development and law-and-order meeting in the conference room of the Betagi upazila parishad in Barguna. The meeting concerned local development and law and order, but a large part of his speech was about the government's plans for the power sector and criticism of the previous government.

On solar power, the Chief Whip said: "We will all use solar power together. If you install solar power, you will not have to pay rent (khajna) for three years. If you import by next February, you will not have to pay tax. If there is extra electricity after using solar power, the government will buy it." In other words, installing solar power on rooftops or through one's own initiative will bring financial incentives as well as the opportunity to sell surplus electricity.

Setting a deadline, he said: "Today is 18 October of '26. I am telling you, by October of '27, if Allah keeps me alive and I come here, no place will be found in Bangladesh to sell electricity." According to his statement, within a year, an abundance of electricity rather than a shortage will be the country's reality.

He blamed the previous government for the current state of the power sector. In his words: "They stole; we do not steal, we will not steal. With this money we will produce electricity." He pledged to save the money lost to corruption and use that very money for electricity generation.

The Chief Whip also made harsh comments about the power plants of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's era. He said: "Hasina has power plants, but there are no machines inside. Hasina built these power plants to pocket money. So the government now has no way to reduce bills." His remarks made clear that he placed the blame for the current pressure of electricity bills on the projects of the previous government.

At the meeting he also raised the issue of communal harmony. Claiming that no communal riot has taken place in the country in the last two years, the Chief Whip said: "In Bangladesh no one is a minority; everyone is a citizen of this country, everyone's rights are equal."

He also issued a stern warning over Durga Puja. In his words: "If anyone looks at Durga Puja with a crooked eye, that eye will never be straightened again — it will stay crooked." It was an open warning to protect security and harmony during the Puja.

After his speech, he distributed financial assistance of 10,000 taka each among 37 helpless and destitute families of Betagi upazila. In addition, on the occasion of Durga Puja, cash money and GR rice were distributed at all the puja mandaps of the upazila in his presence.

Among the Chief Whip's announcements, the most realistic test will be time. Tax-free import of solar equipment until February, a three-year exemption from rent, and the promise that the government will buy surplus electricity — if these take effect, interest in solar power at the individual and institutional level may grow.

But his one-year deadline is now the biggest topic of discussion. Whether electricity truly becomes surplus by October 2027, and whether that surplus reaches the stage of export or sale, will determine the credibility of this announcement. For now, this promise made from the Betagi meeting has come forward as a clear outline of the government's power plan.