Bangladesh approves its largest solar power plant

Bangladesh has approved a 442-megawatt solar power plant at Rampal, a $230 million project that officials said would be the country’s largest solar facility.

The project was approved on Oct. 7 and is expected to be operational by 2029. The land had originally been acquired for the expansion of an existing coal-fired power plant.

Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, a minister at the Ministry of Planning, said the government dropped the second phase of the coal project and replaced it with solar power as part of a pledge to increase renewable generation and reduce carbon emissions.

Bangladesh faces chronic electricity shortages and relies heavily on imported energy, including liquefied natural gas. Government data put installed renewable energy capacity at about 1.87 gigawatts, or roughly 6.5 percent of the country’s 28.9-gigawatt grid-connected capacity.

The Rampal site is about 14 kilometres from the edge of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. Bangladesh’s power system remains dominated by fossil fuels, with gas accounting for about 43 percent of installed capacity and oil and coal making up nearly the same share.

Bangladesh also imports electricity from India and Nepal. Its first nuclear power plant, the 2.4-gigawatt Rooppur facility, is due to begin operations by the end of 2026 after more than a decade of construction.

Dhaka has set a target of generating 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said many garment manufacturers are showing interest in rooftop solar systems.