BUET Launches Power Research Facility BEPRL

Strengthening indigenous engineering capacity, grid modernization, and advanced energy sustainability, the Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Laboratory (BEPRL) was officially inaugurated at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Funded by the Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council (BEPRC), the laboratory serves as a unified national collaborative platform addressing domestic energy and electrical infrastructure challenges.

According to institutional sources, the facility was formally opened on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at an inauguration event hosted by BUET's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE). BUET Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Mohammad Shariful Islam presided over the session, while BEPRC Chairman Mohammad Wahid Hossain (ndc) attended as chief guest. BUET EEE Professor and former Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Abdul Hasib Chowdhury attended as special guest, accompanied by EEE Faculty Dean Dr. Mohammad Kamrul Hassan alongside faculty researchers and technical executives.

Delivering the introductory remarks, Dr. Muhammad Anisuzzaman Talukdar explained that the foundation for BEPRL was initiated in 2021 and pursued through inter-institutional coordination to host global-standard experimental setups for local and international scholars. EEE Dean Dr. Mohammad Kamrul Hassan underscored the urgent need to expand sovereign research capabilities spanning electricity generation, storage, high-voltage transmission, and distribution analytics.

Addressing the audience, special guest Dr. Abdul Hasib Chowdhury emphasized that BEPRL’s operational scope must extend beyond traditional academic publishing to enhance functional energy efficiency across manufacturing industries, mechanized agriculture, and national transit systems amid global resource volatility.

Presiding over the event, Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Mohammad Shariful Islam categorized the establishment of BEPRL as a historic institutional milestone for BUET. He affirmed that the university administration will maintain long-term infrastructural support to deploy national engineering talents toward practical energy solutions.

In his chief guest address, BEPRC Chairman Mohammad Wahid Hossain (ndc) stated that scientific breakthroughs should not be gauged solely by journal citations, but by their direct, measurable efficacy in solving real-world structural problems. He highlighted the ongoing five-year synergy between BUET and BEPRC, signaling future expansions to integrate the open research model with other technical universities, industrial stakeholders, and state agencies.

Concluding the symposium, BUET EEE Department Head and Director of BEPRL Dr. Sharif Mohammad Mominuzzaman stressed the critical imperative of closing the gap between domestic laboratory findings and commercial technology patents. He reiterated that translating fundamental electrical engineering science into viable intellectual property will future-proof the nation's rapidly growing power grid.

//DBTech/DAD/MMS/MIST//