Current Status: Construction
Source: (Dhaka Tribune)
Sonagazi 100 MW (EGCBL) Solar Power Plant (Phase 1), also known as Sonagazi Solar PV Park 1, is a solar Photovoltaic (PV) power plant project. It is planned in Sonagazi upazila in Feni district under Chittagong division of Bangladesh (Location: 22.7901, 91.3747). The power plant is proposed by the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh Limited (EGCBL), a State-owned Enterprise (SOE) under the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). The project is currently in the permitting stage and will be developed in a single phase. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2022, with commercial operation expected in 2023. According to BPDB monthly progress report of April 2024 the probable operation of the power plant will start from 2027. Now, the Discussion going for financing (BPDB 2024).
Capacity
The power plant's installed capacity (gross) and derated (net) capacity is 100 MW.
Context
The power plant is proposed by the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh Limited (EGCBL), a State-owned Enterprise (SOE) under the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) (FE, 2021). EGCB plans to build three solar power plants with a total capacity of 300 MW in Sonagazi upazila, which is situated in Feni district (EP, 2024).
On 20 May 2021, EGCBL and Marubeni Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to install the power plant (BP, 2021). Marubeni Corp is a diversified trading and investment company engaged in various sectors, including marine products, chemicals, energy, metals, machinery, textiles, and more (PT, 2021).
The Sonagazi Solar PV Park 1 is a ground-mounted solar project (PT, 2021) jointly owned by the Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh and Marubeni, each holding a 50% stake in the project (BP, 2021). The anticipated project cost is approximately $115.93 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2022, with commercial operation expected to commence by 2023 (PT, 2021). However, according to the latest reports of BPDB, the operation will start in 2027.
Land Acquisition
The Managing Director of EGCB announced that the Sonagazi 100 MW (EGCBL) Solar Power Plant (Phase 1) power plant, is slated for establishment on 350 acres of land (FE, 2021) within the Sonagazi Economic Zone area; EGCL has purchased around 1000 acres of land in Sonagazi on which 250 MW of solar and 20 MW of wind power facilities will be built (BP, 2021).
Finance
The anticipated project cost is approximately USD 115.93 million (PT, 2021).
Sponsor
According to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the Power Grid Corporation of Bangladesh (PGCB) and Marubeni will jointly establish the plant, with each holding a 50 percent equity share in the project (FE, 2021).
Contractors
Trina Solar is set to provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for the Sonagazi Solar PV Park (Sonagazi Solar PV Park 1) (PT, 2021).
Fuel Supply
The solar panels' mono-crystal cells convert light energy to electrical energy, allowing the power plant to produce power from sunlight (FT, 2018).
Power Generation
Construction for the project is scheduled to begin in 2022, with commercial operations expected to commence in 2023. Within the project framework, a 13 km transmission line with a voltage of 230 KV is set to be built (Barta24, 2023).
Environment
According to Section 12 of the Bangladesh Environment Protection Act 1995, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is obligatory for any industry (MOLJPA, 1995). Polluting industries, such as power plants, must undergo an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and EIA as directed in the Environmental Conservation Rules 2017 (MOEFCC, 1997). But unfortunately, no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was found for this project. According to the environmental conservation rule 2023, the project falls in the “Yellow,” indicating it is a slightly harmful project for the environment (MOEFCC 2023).
References
BPDB (2024). ‘Power Sector Progress Report’. Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB): accessed on 13 May 2024
EP (2024). “EGCB to Construct 3 more Solar Power Plants at Feni”. Energy & Power (EP): 3 January 2024.
FE (2021). "Deal signed to build 100 MW solar plant in Sonagazi". The Financial Express (FE): 20 May 2021.
FT (2018). “On-grid solar plant cuts load-shedding in Jamalpur”. The Finance Today (FT): 04 October 2018.
BP (2021). “100 MW solar power plant at Sonagazi soon”. Bangladesh Post(BP): 20 May 2021.
PT (2021). “Sonagazi Solar PV Park 1, Bangladesh”. Power Technology (PT): 23 December 2021.
Barta24 (2023). “A 100 MW solar power plant is being built at Feni”. Barta24. 4 October 2023.
MOEFCC (1997). “The Environmental Conservation Rules”. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC): 27 August 1997.
MOEFCC (2023). “The Environmental Conservation Rules”. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC): 5 March 2023
MOLJPA (1995). “Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995”. Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MOLJPA): 16 February 1995.