Corruption, crony capitalism and conflict: Rethinking the political economy of coal in Bangladesh and beyond

Bangladesh is planning to build a series of coal-fired power plants to meet the increasing gap between its energy demand and supply. The energy mix of the country is dominated by natural gas but as supplies have begun to dwindle, the pressures of diversification has opened up the window for an expansion of coal. But this expansion is being met with stiff resistance from civil society and local communities that are facing the potential of a power plant in their areas. Issues of environmental degradation, land grabbing, corruption and crony capitalism are playing out within an increasingly complex political economy of coal. The Government's plan to increase the share of coal in the electricity mix from its current 2%-40% by 2021 represents a paradigm shift in energy infrastructure, but it remains to be seen if this shift will take its toll on peoples lives, their livelihoods and the democratic functioning of the country. This short communication will explore these aspects with the recent killing of 4 protestors of a proposed coal plant, at its center. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.