Dhaka water authority re-tenders plans for 12 MW solar plant

Dhaka, Bangladesh

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The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) has re-tendered a 12 MW solar power plant planned near one of its treatment plants on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital.

Originally set to be tendered in January, the water authority was forced back to the drawing board after contractors attending a pre-bid meeting complained some clauses in the bid documents were too harsh.

The re-tendered plant will be constructed on a build-own-operate and transfer basis with DWASA to buy electricity from it for 25 years.

A senior DWASA official told pv magazine the authority has several water treatment plants and plans to install further solar facilities in the near future.

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“There is a decision to set up solar power plants in all the big government buildings,” said the official. “So, solar power plants will be installed in … DWASA buildings and other establishments too.”

Another DWASA official confirmed the water treatment plant will not consume all the electricity generated by the PV project and any excess will be exported to the grid under net metering rules.

By February, Bangladesh had seen 4.25 MW of solar capacity installed under its net metering program, part of a cumulative 577.32 MW of solar installed in the nation to date. That figure represents 3.04% of total generation capacity and ensures the government still has some way to go to hit its target of 10% of electricity from renewables next year.

However, several large scale PV plants are taking shape as Bangladesh attracts foreign investment from Saudi Arabian, UAE and Malaysian entities.

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