Building sustainable energy infrastructure in emerging markets requires a delicate balance between addressing immediate needs and planning for a cleaner future. Summit Group, Bangladesh’s largest infrastructure conglomerate, has been navigating this challenge under the leadership of its founder and chairman, Muhammed Aziz Khan.
Aziz Khan Commitment to Sustainable Development
“Sustainability is a global process. It’s not specific to Bangladesh,” states Muhammed Aziz Khan. Despite Bangladesh being a relatively low emitter of greenhouse gases, Khan recognizes the country’s responsibility to contribute to global climate goals.
Summit Group has built a reputation for bringing reliable electricity to Bangladesh. “At that time, the biggest problem was not having electricity. Twenty percent of the people had access to electricity in 1995-96,” recalls Khan. “And I am so humbled and so happy that we at that time started with electricity and generated electricity. Today, 100% of people have access to electricity in Bangladesh.”
Under Khan’s leadership, Summit Group constructed Bangladesh’s first independent power plant in 1997, transforming the country’s energy landscape. Now, as Bangladesh faces the challenges of climate change, Khan is focusing on the transition to cleaner energy sources.
Summit Group Evolution Toward Cleaner Energy
Summit’s journey reflects the energy transition happening in many emerging markets. The company’s initial power projects were oil-based, but it has since moved toward natural gas, which produces fewer carbon emissions.
“We need to harness artificial intelligence to contain emissions to bring about re-nurturing Mother Earth so that each and every aspect of Mother Earth, from its soil to its environment, improves,” Khan emphasizes in the Aziz Khan Summit Group Transcript. “It’s very intriguing and it is very challenging, but it is a must if this world is to continue to be a happier world.”
In recent years, Summit Group has been exploring renewable energy options. The company has developed plans to import up to 1,000 megawatts of green electricity from India into Bangladesh, though political changes have temporarily put this project on hold.
The company’s commitment to sustainable development is also reflected in its climate action plan, which includes a commitment not to develop new liquid fuel-fired power plants in Bangladesh. This approach aligns with the global shift toward cleaner energy sources.
How Summit Group Balances Growth and Sustainability
Bangladesh presents unique challenges for renewable energy development. The scarcity of available land in the densely populated country — more than 170 million people live in Bangladesh within about 148,000 square kilometers — has limited the ability to build renewable sources of energy such as solar farms.
To address these constraints, Summit Group is adopting innovative approaches. The company is looking beyond Bangladesh’s borders to source renewable energy and is committed to not developing new liquid fuel-fired power plants in the country.
Summit intends to derive 40% of energy generation from clean energy sources by 2040. The company also plans to work with international partners as well as lenders to bring in investments of up to $3 billion in the coming years to contribute to Bangladesh’s clean energy transition journey.
Summit Group’s model of combining foreign partnerships with local expertise offers valuable lessons for emerging markets. By establishing Summit Power International in Singapore, the company gained access to international financing necessary for large-scale infrastructure projects, while maintaining its deep understanding of the local market.
As Aziz Khan puts it in the Aziz Khan Summit Group Transcript: “It was very important for Bangladesh to be able to employ its teeming millions… And employment could only come through industrialization. We had to move from an agrarian society to an industrial society, and electricity is a fundamental requirement for that.”
This balance between economic development and environmental sustainability is at the heart of Summit Group’s approach – offering a blueprint for other emerging markets seeking to build sustainable energy infrastructure in the face of global climate challenges.
