Govt eyes to generate electricity from hydrogen by 2035: PM tells parliament

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told the parliament that the government is mulling electricity production from hydrogen and ammonia alongside the production of solar and wind power in the country.

"It is expected that it would be possible to use hydrogen energy on pilot basis in the country by 2035," she said replying to a question from Awami League lawmaker Habibur Rahman (Sylhet-3).

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury tabled the question-answer session in the House.

The prime minister said a cell has been formed at the Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited (RPGCL) under Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) to collect the results of ongoing researches and the data of the activities undertaken in the developed world over sustainable and reliable methods of producing hydrogen as energy.

The cell will design a project proposal after receiving reliable information in this regard, she added.

Besides, the Premier hoped that the 1,200-megawatt first unit of the 2,400-megawatt Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will go in commercial production by the end of this year.

A target was set to generate 40 percent electricity from clean energy (renewable) by 2041 in the country, she added.

Replying to separate questions from ruling party lawmakers, Alauddin Ahmmad Chowdhury (Feni-1) and Farida Yasmin (Woman Seat-35) regarding Asrayan Project and beneficiaries, the Prime Minister said a total of 8,67,977 (8.68 lakh) landless and homeless families have been rehabilitated under the Ashrayan project.

She said the total number of beneficiaries is more than 43.39 lakh. "So far 58 districts and 464 upazilas have been completely freed from the landless and homeless people. Five divisions -- Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Khulna and Rajshahi -- are now completely freed from landless and homeless people. That means, there are no landless homeless people in all these districts, upazilas and divisions," she added.

In response to another query from AL lawmaker Ali Azam (Bhola-2), the Prime Minister said the government is committed to ensuring justice on the basis of equality for all, irrespective of the rich and poor, and establishing justice in the society by making visible improvements in the judiciary system.

She said the present government has been relentlessly working to establish the rule of law in the country by providing assurance of fair trial to alleviate the suffering of the people seeking justice.

A total of 1,429 judges were recruited in lower courts since 2009, she added.

Answering to a question from AL lawmaker SM Ataul Haque (Satkhira-4), the prime minister said the allocation for the social safety sector has been increased by 9.12 times from Tk 13,845 crore in the 2008-09 fiscal year to Tk 126,272 crore in the current fiscal year of 2023-24, which is 16.58 percent of the total national budget.