UAE to invest in 100 MW Bangladesh solar plant

Details are few at this stage, with a site for the big project still to be selected, although the Bangladeshi government has confirmed the tariff for electricity produced by the plant will be $0.095/kWh.

The development would mark a big leap forward for the nation’s cumulative capacity.

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The United Arab Emirates will invest in a 100 MW solar plant in Bangladesh in a deal signed by Khaled Mahmood, chairman of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), and Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum.

Mahmood told pv magazine a 400-acre project site is yet to be selected, adding: “UAE officials will soon visit Bangladesh for [a] feasibility study and finalizing the site. [Locating] barren land is [the] main challenge for solar power plant [development] in Bangladesh.” The utility chairman said there are barren fields in the Feni district, in southeastern Bangladesh, where the plant could be established.

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The government will pay a tariff of $0.095/kWh for electricity generated by the new facility, having slashed the tariff for smaller ground-mount projects from $0.22 to $0.11 for a 20 MW plant in September. Cheaper modules, technology and set-up costs have enabled solar to thrive regardless, with PV developers stating the higher tariff was acting as a brake on further deployment.

“Now, [the] solar price is almost close to [the price of] electricity produced from other sources,” a senior BPDB official told pv magazine.

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