Transparency in Power Procurement: From Adani to Waste-to-Energy – A Governance Question in Bangladesh

28 August 202612 min read Energy Procurement

Transparency and Fairness in Power Procurement: From Adani to Waste-to-Energy – A Governance Question in Bangladesh

MC

Minhaz Samad Chowdhury

Human Rights Defender and Governance & Public Policy Analyst, Civic Vision Bangladesh (CVB) — Since 2007

info.hrdefender@gmail.com

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Electricity is not a luxury; it is a right and a precondition for development. Two recent tariffs — Tk 14.86/kWh for electricity imported from India's Adani Godda plant and Tk 25/kWh for waste-to-energy at Aminbazar — have raised public questions. This is not about emotion, but about data, equity and accountability.

01

Context: What Does Data Say?

Cite The Business Standard, 19 July 2026; BPDB Annual Report FY 2024-25; and Power Division financial statements: average 14.86 Tk/kWh for 8030 million kWh (803 crore units), costing Tk 11,933.44 crore, virtually unchanged from 14.87 in FY24.

COMPARATIVE IMPORT TARIFFS — FY 2024-25Source: BPDB, Power Division

Adani Godda (India)

8030 Mn kWh • Take-or-pay baseload

Tk 14.86

PER KWH

NVVN (India)

4840 Mn kWh • −49% / 96% cheaper than Adani

Tk 7.58

PER KWH

PTC India

1620 Mn kWh • −31%

Tk 10.20

PER KWH

Sembcorp

1920 Mn kWh • −31% / 45-46% cheaper

Tk 10.22

PER KWH

Nepal Hydro

— • −44% (cleanest)

Tk 8.35

PER KWH

Weighted avg. of other 3 Indian

— • Adani 59% higher

Tk 9.33

PER KWH

WHEELING CHARGE

Tk 0.437↓ from 0.527

Tariff unchanged despite lower wheeling

AVG PROCUREMENT COST

Tk 12.10↑ from 11.35

Pressure on subsidy & retail tariff

02

Waste-to-Energy: New Initiative, Old Questions

Cite New Age 27 Aug 2026, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, LGRD: 42MW waste-to-energy at Aminbazar landfill, DNCC, target 18 months, grid supply by Aug-Sep 2028, no direct govt investment, private developer will build and operate, DNCC gets monthly rent, organic fertilizer and carbon credits potential.

“Price may appear relatively high but considering environmental benefits and carbon credits, cost will be recovered.”

— State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, LGRD

Global Waste-to-Energy LCOE is higher due to technology and environmental safeguards. The question is not whether WtE is expensive, but whether its full value — waste, methane, health, fertilizer, carbon — is accounted for.

CAPACITY

42 MW

LOCATION

Aminbazar Landfill

MODEL

DBO + Rent

COD TARGET

Aug-Sep 2028

03

Two Contracts, Two Realities: Trap of False Equivalence

ADANI GODDA • 1600 MW

Dedicated Baseload Coal Import PPA

• Long-term take-or-pay, capacity charge
• Coal price linked to international market
• Transmission + wheeling charge
• Carbon footprint & climate liability

AMINBAZAR • 42 MW

Integrated Waste Management Concession

• Includes waste collection & environmental liability
• Organic fertilizer + carbon credits potential
• Landfill & methane reduction co-benefits
• Public health impact in Dhaka North

GOVERNANCE NOTE

Fair comparison requires lifecycle cost, environmental externalities, energy security, public health impact. Both can be expensive, but measuring two different cost types on the same scale misguides policy.

04

Governance & Human Rights Lens

A

Transparency & Accountability

Art 21 • RTI 2009: Full PPA terms, capacity charge, fuel adjustment formula, wheeling charges not proactively disclosed. Trust deficit emerges when a 59% difference remains unexplained. Public interest information cannot hide behind confidentiality.

B

Participatory Decision & Energy Justice

ICESCR • SDG 7: Affordable, reliable, sustainable energy is a right. Rising average procurement costs to Tk 12.1 put pressure on subsidies and retail tariffs, impacting low-income families, small entrepreneurs, and marginalised groups who spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy.

C

Environmental Rights

Art 18A: Mymazar methane reduction is positive, but air pollution, dioxin, and the health rights of nearby communities need an independent ESIA. Coal import carbon footprint and climate liability must be accounted for — not just Tk/kWh.

05

What To Do: Five Pathways to Good Governance

01

Active Disclosure of Contracts

Publish all PPAs, amendments, and wheeling charges on websites per RTI spirit. No confidentiality excuse for public interest info.

02

Independent Tariff Audit

Neutral audit via BERC or a third party of cost structure, capacity payment, and fuel price adjustment for Adani and other high-cost imports.

03

Integrated Cost-Benefit Analysis

Evaluate waste-to-energy not as electricity only but as waste management, public health, methane reduction, fertilizer, carbon credits – full social-environmental return.

04

Competitive Bidding & Diversification

Ensure open competition, prioritize Nepal hydro (8.35 Tk) and affordable regional grid sources, diversify import basket to avoid single-source lock-in.

05

Citizen Participation

Meaningful participation of affected communities, consumer groups, and experts in the power master plan, tariff determination, and local public hearings for waste-to-energy.

CONCLUSION

14.86 vs 25 Taka debate raises a bigger question – are we buying electricity as a commodity or building a just system for rights, environment and future generations?

Good governance is not just about buying cheaper, but about how, for whom, and with whose voice. When information is open, competition rises, and citizen participation is ensured, the power sector will not only illuminate but also deliver justice.

Electricity for all – and no one left behind.

SOURCES & REFERENCES

• BPDB Annual Report FY 2024-25, Power Division Financial Statements
• The Business Standard, 19 July 2026 — Adani power import cost analysis
• New Age, 27 Aug 2026 — Aminbazar waste-to-energy project
• BERC wheeling charge order, Constitution Articles 18A, 21
• Right to Information Act 2009, ICESCR, SDG 7

Minhaz Samad Chowdhury

Human Rights Defender | Governance & Public Policy Analyst
Civic Vision Bangladesh (CVB) — Independent Platform on Governance, Human Rights & Sustainable Policy Since 2007