The government is doing a feasibility study for building a waste-based power plant in Keraniganj, just on the outskirts of the capital.
“The government has initiated a pilot project for a waste-based power plant in Keraniganj,” Power Division Joint Secretary Siddique Zobair told a workshop at the Bidyut Bhaban yesterday.
Zobair, also a member of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Authority (Sreda), said the government has finalised the memorandum of association and articles of association required to form the country’s first waste-based power generation company that will take recycled garbage and turn it into green energy.
During a presentation, he said waste for the power plant would be collected from three dumping sites – Rajuk’s Jhilmil project site and Moyla Potti Bonde in Shubhadya union, and Teghuria bazar in Teghuria union.
Each day, around 200 tonnes of municipal solid waste and garment waste are generated, the joint secretary said.
The government had earlier announced a renewable energy policy and made plans to increase renewable energy sources’ share in power generation to 5% by the end of 2015 and 10% by 2020.
According to yesterday’s presentation, the country’s renewable power generation capacity is 411MW.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said the private sector can be a partner in the important process of transforming waste into resources and energy with the help of proper waste preservation.
The government has undertaken many projects which need to be implemented soon because now was the right time to achieve the goals, he said.
The UNDP Bangladesh and Sreda jointly organised yesterday’s programme on “Waste to Energy Opportunity and Challenges in Bangladesh” under the Development of Sustainable Renewable Energy Power Generation (SREPGen) project.
The SREPGen project helps Bangladesh promote renewable energy development, specifically to address the needs of low-income households by facilitating access to afford sustainable energy solutions.
Among others, Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam, Sreda Chairman Tapos Kumar Roy, Country Director of UNDP Bangladesh Pauline Tamesis and Director General of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain addressed the inaugural ceremony of the workshop.
