The government is going to install solar panel-based power plant projects with 50 megawatt production capacity to supply power to the national grid under unsolicited deals in the Mymensing district.
The HETAT-DITROLIC-IFDC Consortium (Singapore-Malaysia) will set up the power project and supply per unit of electricity at Tk13.26 for 20 years with 18.5 percent plant factor.
The consortium will supply power under no-electricity-no-payment basis, an official said, adding that the Power Division agreed to a proposal for purchasing power spending Tk2,148 crore from the plant for 20 years.
The Power Division has already prepared a proposal to send for approval to the cabinet committee on public affairs.
The projects will mitigate the existing power crisis by enhancing generation of renewable energy in the public and private sectors.
“We have taken initiatives to reduce dependency on fossil fuel-based electricity generation by developing solar panel-based power plants,” Power Division Secretary Monowar Islam told the Dhaka Tribune.
The Power Division will place a proposal for the approval of the construction of the 50 MW solar power plant at the next meeting of the cabinet committee on public purchase.
The state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) under Power Division will implement the projects.
On October 1, 2015, the Cabinet Committee on Purchase approved a proposal for setting up a 200MW solar park in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar, the largest in the country, on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis with the private sector.
SunEdison Energy Holding (Singapore) Private Ltd, a subsidiary of American solar power giant SunEdison, will carry out the project as an independent power producer (IPP), as part of the government’s mega plan to increase production.
The state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) will buy electricity from the project at 17 cents or Tk13.26 per kilowatt hour (each unit) for 20 years. The government will have to spend about $1.1bn or Tk8,595 crore.
SunEdision will set up the power plant on it’s own land and has agreed to install 50-km transmission lines from it’s own fund.
A section of businessmen proposed to set up solar-fired power plants to get public and private land easily instead of setting up the plants. Later, they use the land for other purposes, internal sources said.
As per the renewable energy policy 2008, the government has a plan to source 5% or 800MW of electricity from renewable energy. Another 10% or 2,000MW from renewable energy has been targeted.
