BD set to emulate Danish clean energy experience
Monday, 6 December 2010
FE Report
Ten world-recognised Danish companies sat with 45 Bangladeshi counterparts in the city on Sunday to find out business opportunities in clean energy and technology with focus on earning for the country credit from global carbon market.
The 'match-making' meeting of the Danish Embassy, the second after April this year on energy and clean technology, has enabled the participating companies of the two countries to avail access to exploring the possibilities for setting up long-term cooperation or joint ventures by combining Danish know-how and investments with local knowledge and manpower skills in a win-win situation.
The issue came up as industries minister Dilip Barua addressed the inaugural session of a meeting in the city as chief guest which was attended by Prof Ijaz Hossain of chemical engineering department of BUET as special guest.
Farooq Sobhan, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute moderated the session, at which Danish embassy's deputy chief Jan Moller Hansen, representative of Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh Frands Sharpe and president of Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hamim Rahmatullah also spoke.
The industries minister said energy efficiency, water and waste management are the areas extremely important in the context of the country's big challenge to ensure sufficient energy and clean water for its huge population.
He highlighted Denmark's capacity to generate 25 per cent of its energy from renewable sources and the country's top priority to building energy-efficient houses and factories saying: "as an energy-efficient nation, Denmark can transfer appropriate technology to Bangladesh to improve the country's energy efficiency level."
The industries minister recalled Denmark's significant role in shipbuilding and information technology industries in the country through the B2B programme, and hoped that the latest complementary event would help initiate a new era of long-term cooperation between the participating companies.
"The pattern of global trade and commerce is changing gradually. Technological advancement, global financial downturn, knowledge based hi-tech industrialisation and some other relevant socio- economic factors influenced the global trade and commerce seriously," he said emphasising developing the country's industries in response to the needs of global trade and commerce.
He also invited the local companies to give focus on energy efficient devices, clean forms of energy and green technology solutions through fruitful meetings.
"We want the world not to recognise us as a poor country anymore and want to send the term 'poor' to museum," the minister added.
Prof Ijaz highlighted the country's energy scenario and its challenges and suggested the participants to explore opportunities in the light of earning carbon credit under clean development mechanism (CDM), which is a market mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol.
"CDM can be imagined as a match-making between a developed country industry and that of a developing country through technology transfer," he said stressing Bangladesh's potential in the fields of brick, jute, sugar, pulp and paper mills, clinker grinding plants, glass and ceramic factories, cold storage and ice plants.
During the working session, the Danish business delegation discussed the wide range of products being used worldwide for pump companies, green buildings, high level effluent plants, waste water treatment devices for dying plants, multi-tank system for space saving and energy-oriented exploitation of sludge from safety tanks by setting up biogas.
The Danish ambassador stressed correct and quality partnership for the highest success of the meeting, saying Denmark, which has world-class know-how in almost all branches of waste handling, now generates 20 per cent of power consumption through renewable energy.
"If Danish and local companies' cooperation can be established through transferring Danish know-how and expertise, it would be of tremendous value to both countries," he said.
Benny Hagelskjaer, co organiser of Water Training & Consulting (WTC), said the country has efficient clean-tech solutions for water, waste water, waste to energy etc which are helpful in low energy consumption, long life-time expectancy and high quality production.
Ten world-recognised Danish companies sat with 45 Bangladeshi counterparts in the city on Sunday to find out business opportunities in clean energy and technology with focus on earning for the country credit from global carbon market.
The 'match-making' meeting of the Danish Embassy, the second after April this year on energy and clean technology, has enabled the participating companies of the two countries to avail access to exploring the possibilities for setting up long-term cooperation or joint ventures by combining Danish know-how and investments with local knowledge and manpower skills in a win-win situation.
The issue came up as industries minister Dilip Barua addressed the inaugural session of a meeting in the city as chief guest which was attended by Prof Ijaz Hossain of chemical engineering department of BUET as special guest.
Farooq Sobhan, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute moderated the session, at which Danish embassy's deputy chief Jan Moller Hansen, representative of Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh Frands Sharpe and president of Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hamim Rahmatullah also spoke.
The industries minister said energy efficiency, water and waste management are the areas extremely important in the context of the country's big challenge to ensure sufficient energy and clean water for its huge population.
He highlighted Denmark's capacity to generate 25 per cent of its energy from renewable sources and the country's top priority to building energy-efficient houses and factories saying: "as an energy-efficient nation, Denmark can transfer appropriate technology to Bangladesh to improve the country's energy efficiency level."
The industries minister recalled Denmark's significant role in shipbuilding and information technology industries in the country through the B2B programme, and hoped that the latest complementary event would help initiate a new era of long-term cooperation between the participating companies.
"The pattern of global trade and commerce is changing gradually. Technological advancement, global financial downturn, knowledge based hi-tech industrialisation and some other relevant socio- economic factors influenced the global trade and commerce seriously," he said emphasising developing the country's industries in response to the needs of global trade and commerce.
He also invited the local companies to give focus on energy efficient devices, clean forms of energy and green technology solutions through fruitful meetings.
"We want the world not to recognise us as a poor country anymore and want to send the term 'poor' to museum," the minister added.
Prof Ijaz highlighted the country's energy scenario and its challenges and suggested the participants to explore opportunities in the light of earning carbon credit under clean development mechanism (CDM), which is a market mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol.
"CDM can be imagined as a match-making between a developed country industry and that of a developing country through technology transfer," he said stressing Bangladesh's potential in the fields of brick, jute, sugar, pulp and paper mills, clinker grinding plants, glass and ceramic factories, cold storage and ice plants.
During the working session, the Danish business delegation discussed the wide range of products being used worldwide for pump companies, green buildings, high level effluent plants, waste water treatment devices for dying plants, multi-tank system for space saving and energy-oriented exploitation of sludge from safety tanks by setting up biogas.
The Danish ambassador stressed correct and quality partnership for the highest success of the meeting, saying Denmark, which has world-class know-how in almost all branches of waste handling, now generates 20 per cent of power consumption through renewable energy.
"If Danish and local companies' cooperation can be established through transferring Danish know-how and expertise, it would be of tremendous value to both countries," he said.
Benny Hagelskjaer, co organiser of Water Training & Consulting (WTC), said the country has efficient clean-tech solutions for water, waste water, waste to energy etc which are helpful in low energy consumption, long life-time expectancy and high quality production.