As part of the government’s mega plan to give a further boost to power generation, a 200 MWp solar power plant is likely to be installed in Teknaf by the US-based solar power firm SunEdison at a cost of over Tk8,595 crore from the government exchequer.
This will be the country’s largest grid-connected solar project to be implemented as an independent power producer (IPP) project.
The Power Division has already completed negotiations with the US firm’s Singapore-based subsidiary, allowing it to set up the plant on the build-own-operate basis.
Following the negotiations, the government is now set to allow SunEidson to build a 200MWp solar park at Teknaf Upazilla for the next 20 years in an attempt to ease acute power crisis in Chittagong district, official sources said.
The state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) will purchase electricity from the project for 20 years on ‘No Electricity, No Payment’ basis.
The Power Division’s proposal to build a solar park will be placed for approval before the next cabinet committee on purchase.
According to the proposal singed by the power division secretary Monowar Islam, the per-unit cost (each kilowatt hour) of electricity of the project will be $0.17 which is equivalent to Tk13.26.
The plant will be set up on about 1,000 acres of non-agricultural land in the tourist district of Cox’s Bazar.
The Power Division proposal reveals that the cost of per unit electricity of the proposed solar power plant is not high compared to the other two Sarishbabari 3MWp solar project and Dorla 30MWp Solar Park having per unit cost Tk14.80 Tk13.26.
Earlier, a committee was formed to find a suitable place for establishing a solar park and the committee later visited Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar district, Tetulia in Panchagarth district, Trishal in Mymensigh district and Ghatail in Tangali.
Though the committee initially selected two area-Taknaf in Cox’s Bazar district and Tetulia in Panchagarth district, the sponsoring company has selected Taknaf in Cox’s Bazar for implementing the project, according to the proposal.
The Power division officials said two more solar parks would be set up in Iswardi and Sirajaganj with a total of 3 MWp solar panels with an investment of Tk46 crore.
After two ongoing solar-power projects-Kaptai 5MWp and Hatia 1MWp, the Power Development Board has decided to build a 200 MWp solar power plant, said a senior official.
As per the government master plan 2010, plants for generating 500 megawatts of solar power will be set for supplying to the consumers and the government has plan to generate 24,000MW in 2021.
Of the total 2000MW will come from renewable energy sources.
The PDB has already acquired 2.34 acres of land for Joynagar Grid Substation in Iswardi while 0.52 acres of land in Sirajganj, according to the Power Division.