Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir said on Saturday that the power crisis in the industrial sector would ease significantly if the government achieves its target of generating 10,000MW of solar power.

He made the remarks while talking to journalists after inaugurating a new exhibition and sales centre at Osmani International Airport in Sylhet. The centre was established by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).

The minister said the government was prioritising small-scale entrepreneurs requiring lower investment and using environmentally friendly technologies instead of energy-intensive industries, considering the global economic situation and the energy crisis.

He said solar power could be used optimally for three and a half to four hours a day in Bangladesh and, with storage facilities, could help meet electricity demand during the evening peak hours.

“If the government’s target of generating 10,000MW of solar power is achieved, the load-shedding crisis in the industrial sector will ease significantly,” he said.

He added that plans were also being prepared to use gas and alternative fuels such as rice husk and coal in industrial plots.

The minister said the cottage, micro, small and medium enterprise (CMSME) sector currently contributes around 34% to the national economy, while the government aims to raise its contribution to 50%.

Sylhet-6 MP Advocate Emran Ahmed Chowdhury, Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury, Sylhet Development Authority Chairman Rezaul Hasan Quayes Lodi, Sylhet District Council Administrator Abul Kaher Chowdhury Shamim, Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Ltd Director Md Badruzzaman Selim, Metropolitan BNP President Nasim Hossain and General Secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury, among others, attended the event.