Bangladesh approves 1.5 GW of solar
Bangladesh‘s government approved tariffs for 200 MW of PV in November and 310 MW in October.
In November, the national authorities approved two 100 MW solar projects to be developed in Feni district in southeastern Bangladesh and Mymensingh district, in the north-central part of the country.
China's Xizi Clean Energy Equipment Manufacturing and Bangladeshi clothing makers Cassiopea Fashion and Cassiopea Apparels will build the project in Mymensingh, under a 20-year tariff of $0.10/kWh.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will set up the other solar plant in Sonagazi with an unspecified Chinese investor as a partner. It will also operate under a 20-year tariff of $0.10/kWh.
China's Hangzhou Boiler Company, in collaboration with Max Infrastructure in Bangladesh, secured approval in October for a 180 MW solar project in Jamalpur district. The Bangladesh Power Development Board is set to purchase electricity from the plant at $0.0999/kWh.
The second project to be approved in October is a 130 MW array in Munshiganj district. A joint venture between Energon Renewables (BD) Ltd and PWR Energy Trading LLC will construct the project.
The Bangladeshi authorities have approved several large-scale PV projects in recent months to expand the share of renewables in the country's electricity mix and reach its energy and climate targets. This increase in projects is likely due to new measures that were recently introduced to help domestic independent power producers build and operate new renewable energy plants.
Over the last seven months, the government has approved proposals for more than 1.5 GW of solar installations. Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, said that there are currently more than 1.2 GW of projects under construction in Bangladesh.