Another renewable boost: Sirajganj 68MW solar plant set for June launch

The 68-megawatt (MW) solar power plant in Soydabad, Sirajganj, is set to connect to Bangladesh’s national grid by the end of June as construction nears completion, aiming to boost the country’s renewable energy capacity and support a sustainable energy transition.

Project officials say 95% of the construction work has already been completed, with 27,000 pillars installed, on which 150,000 solar panels are being placed.

The construction of the control building, officer dormitory, rest house, and security building is nearing completion, according to them.

Occupying 214 acres of land along the banks of the Jamuna River, the new power plant has been established through a collaborative investment effort between China and Bangladesh and is operated by the Bangladesh-China Renewable Energy Company (Pvt) Limited (BCRECL).

Shamim Talukdar Labu, managing director of Lam Enterprise, the Bangladeshi contractor for the project, told The Business Standard, “The project involves over four hundred local and foreign engineers and skilled workers. If everything goes well, electricity will be supplied to the national grid from this site within June.”

He said the solar panel pillars for the project are 20 feet high, considering the natural disaster risk, as the tidal water level usually rises to 12 feet during floods.

Bangladesh has mainly provided the land for this project, while all other funding and technology have been provided by the Chinese company, he added.

In January 2023, a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and an Implementation Agreement (IA) were signed with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for electricity procurement from the plant.

According to the agreement, electricity generated in the plant is priced at 10.20 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The construction cost of this newly built solar power plant is estimated at $87.7 million.

Project officials say the solar power plant will not harm the agricultural environment of the land where it has been established.

Masudur Rahman, project manager of Lam Enterprise, said, “It was once a myth that crops could not be cultivated under solar power plants due to increased temperatures beneath the panels. However, new research suggests that high-rise panels can allow for crop cultivation underneath.”

“Solar projects with vegetation underneath have been found to increase production efficiency by one percent, and if water is present below, the efficiency rate increases further,” he added.

Masudur further said seasonal vegetables will be cultivated under the solar panels, contributing to both electricity generation and crop cultivation.

Formed by the government in 2020, BCRECL operates on an equal partnership basis with China. The company has ambitious plans to set up 500-megawatt renewable energy-based power plants across various regions, including Sirajganj, Pabna, Patuakhali, and other suitable areas of Bangladesh. The Sirajganj 68MW Solar Park is BCRECL’s maiden endeavour.

In line with the Renewable Energy Policy 2009, the government is committed to facilitating both public and private sector investment in renewable energy projects to substitute indigenous non-renewable energy supplies and scale up contributions of existing renewable energy-based electricity productions.

The Renewable Energy Policy envisions that 5% of total energy production of the country will be achieved by 2015 and 10% by 2020; however, this target has not yet been met.

The current electricity generation capacity in the country is around 30,000MW, with around 1,300MW generated from renewable sources, including around 716MW from solar, wind, and hydropower.

M Zakir Hossain Khan, climate finance expert and chief executive of Change Initiative, told TBS, “Bangladesh aims to generate 40% of its electricity from renewable and clean energy sources by 2041 under the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan focusing on assessing renewable energy resources, developing a finance strategy, improving tariff processes, and ensuring compliance and transparency in renewable energy projects.”

In a notable pivot towards sustainable energy, Bangladesh approved an impressive 2.19GW of large-scale photovoltaic (PV) projects in 2023. With a detailed implementation timeline stretching from initial planning in 2023 to full operation by 2027, these projects are poised to significantly enhance the country’s renewable energy capacity, foster economic growth, and contribute to environmental sustainability.

The measures are aimed at facilitating the construction and operation of new renewable energy plants, thereby reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and moving towards a greener energy mix.