Fuel supply must be planned before any sector or new urban area is developed, East Coast Group chairman Azam J Chowdhury said on Wednesday, proposing central LPG storage to serve new urban areas and calling for solar power to be brought under law for independent houses.

“We used to think we would get gas and electricity, that this was our natural right. But that situation has changed. Now we have to understand what limitations exist in fuel supply,” he told a panel on energy transition, covering LPG and solar, at the Smart City Conclave 2026, organised by Bonik Barta at the Sheraton Hotel in Dhaka.

“We keep telling the government, give us gas, give us fuel. But we have to understand that extracting gas or supplying fuel is very difficult work. There are many constraints. So before developing each sector, there is a need to plan for fuel there.”

Chowdhury proposed central LPG storage for new towns and residential areas. If every sector of a city is treated as a self-contained unit, storage should be set up there, with connections provided to homes so that cylinders would no longer need to be carried, he said.

Many LPG companies in Dhaka already supply fuel this way, he noted, so cylinders do not need to be carried to the second, third or fifth floor of a building. Space would have to be set aside in each sector for such a system because of safety concerns, he said, with storage placed at a set distance, such as 10 or 15 metres, and the requirement made mandatory.

Chowdhury also proposed bringing solar power for independent houses under the law, saying each home could have a dedicated solar system and that this should be included in law or rules.

For apartment buildings, he suggested rooftop solar installations with the benefits shared equally among residents. Under the existing metering system, the government pays for the power, so everyone living in an apartment can be an equal beneficiary, he said.

“If we do not do these things, after building homes you will not get fuel. That will become a huge problem,” he said.

The East Coast Group chairman cited examples abroad of small ships and barges fitted with solar panels to produce hydrogen and desalinate seawater for drinking, saying Bangladesh had not managed to innovate and use the benefits of small-scale energy since independence.

Future cities and residential areas must be planned in a way that integrates fuel infrastructure, renewable energy, safe LPG supply and innovative technology, he said.