Encouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Bangladesh’s Power Sector

This book identifies and investigates the determinants that influence investment decision-making for conducting foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bangladesh’s power sector. This book is organized around six core themes. These are: Bangladesh’s vision to become a middle-income country by 2021 and have universal power for all; an overview of the benefits and costs of FDI from a host nation’s perspective; an outlook of Bangladesh’s power sector starting from the years 1994-2008 through 2011-2015 to 2016-2020 and beyond; the key factors that encourage foreign investors to conduct FDI in the Bangladeshi power sector subsumed under four broad categories of investment prospects namely, regulatory, economic and financial, political and social; the key barriers that deter FDI in the Bangladeshi power sector; and policy implications for long-term investment sustainability in the power sector.
The main arguments posited in this book are: regulatory aspects are the most important for firms when conducting FDI in the power sector; land acquisition is a perineal problem that continues to hamper the development of large-scale power projects; there is a need for a transparent and competitive selection process to improve transparency and accountability in private power procurement; and more exploration of onshore and offshore gas fields with the extension of gas transmission networks be enhanced that ensure a regional balance of primary energy supply (gas) for setting up additional gas-based power plants in the country.