The country's first solar power plant under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model is set to be established in Sonagazi upazila of Feni district on land owned by the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), officials said.
Stakeholders welcomed the initiative, saying renewable-energy projects developed with government land and private investment could provide a major boost to the country's green-energy transition.
Officials said the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the BEZA today (Thursday) to use its land for setting up the country's first PPP-based solar power plant.
BPDB Director Golam Mortuza told The Financial Express on Wednesday that the BEZA has more than 400 acres of land in the area, which has been selected for the proposed solar project.
He said a feasibility study is currently underway and the proposed plant is expected to have a generation capacity of more than 100 megawatts (MW).
Mr Mortuza said a private-sector investor would be selected for the project through the open tender method (OTM) after completion of the feasibility study.
"It will be the first PPP-based solar power plant in the country. We see strong prospects for solar power generation in the coming days as private investors will get readily available land for such projects," he said.
Speaking at a recent event, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun said the government wants to expand industrial-scale solar projects under the PPP model through private financing on government-owned land.
He said the government is creating an enabling environment and a significant rise in solar project development would be visible soon.
Recently, the Power Division unveiled a policy framework titled "Guidelines for Development of Renewable Energy Projects using Land Owned by Government Agencies under PPP Modality, 2026".
Under the new framework, government-owned land will be made available to private investors for setting up utility-scale renewable energy projects, with the BPDB acting as the contracting authority.
"The government is pleased to issue these guidelines aiming to facilitate the utilisation of unused or underutilised public land for renewable energy deployment while ensuring transparency, competitive procurement, and institutional coordination under the PPP framework," according to the Power Division.
According to official data, Bangladesh currently generates around 1,744 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources, of which 1,452 MW comes from solar power.
Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA) Director Imran Chowdhury said signing the MoU would help accelerate the development of renewable energy projects under the PPP model.
He said a proper feasibility study must be conducted to ensure the project's bankability under the PPP modality.
"Once the feasibility study is completed, the BPDB should immediately move to select project investors. It will attract foreign investors as land acquisition challenges will be addressed by the government," he told The Financial Express.
syful-islam@outlook.com
