Gas, solar and investment: Alan Talib meets Bangladesh's energy minister
Published 12 October 2026 · 4 min read
Who was there
| Minister | Aninda Islam Amit MP, Minister of State for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Government of Bangladesh |
| With | Officials of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources |
| NordGulf Alliance | Alan Talib, CEO and Founder |
| Where and when | Dhaka, 8 October 2026 |
| Discussed | Gas supply, the national solar programme, conditions for investment |
In Dhaka on 8 October I sat down with Aninda Islam Amit MP, Bangladesh's Minister of State for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and his team at the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Bangladesh.
A country does not become an investment destination simply because it needs investment. It becomes one when necessity, ambition and opportunity start to meet.
The necessity and the ambition
The necessity is plain. Bangladesh needs around 3.8 billion cubic feet of gas each day. Recent supplies have fallen well short of that.
How short is worth spelling out. In late August the Dhaka Tribune reported total supply of about 2.3 billion cubic feet a day against demand of about 4, with domestic fields producing well below capacity and the largest of them, Bibiyana, in decline. Every missing cubic foot is replaced by imported LNG or not at all.
The ambition is equally clear. 10,000 megawatts of new solar capacity by 2030, on top of less than 2,000 today. More than half of it is planned for rooftops.
For Gulf and Nordic investors looking at South Asia, that rooftop solar programme is one of the clearest entry points I have seen this year.
Energy is the invisible architecture of an economy. It decides whether factories run, whether industry expands and whether a development plan ever leaves the page.
But targets do not finance themselves. Investors need clarity, confidence and a credible path from an idea to a working plant.
What it means for Nordic and Gulf investors
I have spent much of my working life between the Nordics and the Gulf. One brings engineering and industrial experience. The other brings capital and an appetite for new markets.
Rooftop solar on this scale needs installers, inverters, grid connection and financing that works for a factory owner, and much of that know-how sits in the Nordics. Gulf investors bring the capital and the patience for emerging markets. What both will ask for before committing is a bankable structure: a clear tariff, a buyer who pays, and a partner on the ground. That is the conversation we are continuing.
At NordGulf Alliance, our work is about bringing those capabilities together where they can meet real economic needs.
Thank you, Minister, for your time.
Capital follows opportunity. But the investments that last begin with understanding.
And understanding begins with a conversation.