Current Status: Canceled
Representational Picture (Source: ThePictureBox, Pixabay)
Tangail 50 MW Solar Power Plant, is a canceled solar power plant situated in Ghosh Para upazila, Tangail District of Dhaka Division, Bangladesh (Location: 24.2844, 89.9179). It was proposed by the consortium of Hanwha 63 City Company, BJ Power Company and Solar City Bangladesh Power Company, as a private Independent Power Producer (IPP) for 20 years. The Cabinet committee on public purchase had given permission to the proposal on setting up the solar power plant on 1 March 2017 but later in June 2022 it was canceled.
Capacity
The installed capacity was set to 50 MW.
Context
On 1 March 2017, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved proposals for the establishment of four solar power plants across the country. These plants, with a combined capacity of 258 megawatts, were set to be constructed at various locations including the powerplant in Tangail. The total cost for this initiative was BDT 9,158 crore, covering a span of the next two decades. The consortium of Hanwha 63 City Company, BJ Power Company and Solar City Bangladesh Power Company was involved to set up the 50MW solar power plant at Ghosh Para upazila, Tangail for 20 years of tenure (DT, 2017a, DT, 2017b).
The government was going to purchase electricity at BDT 10.40 per kilowatt-hour unit. Funding for the power plants was anticipated to be sourced from international banks and financial institutions, as per statements from officials in the power division. The selection of companies was based on their financial robustness and ability to secure credit, according to an official. However, the exact investment details from these companies would only be known after the projects were implemented. The agreements required the completion of the projects within 18 months from the signing date, but it appears that this may not have transpired as expected (TDS, 2017). In June 2022, the power plant was considered as canceled (GEM, 2023).
Finance
According to the project proposal, the total project cost was set to be USD 131 million (Byron, 2017).
Sponsors
The consortium of Hanwha 63 City Company, BJ Power Company and Solar City Bangladesh Power Company was involved to set up the power plant (DT, 2017a).
References
Byron (2017). “$600m to be invested for 258MW solar power”. The Daily Star (TDS): 2 March 2017.
DT (2017a). “Cabinet okays 258MW solar power plant projects”. Dhaka Tribune (DT): 1 March 2017.
DT (2017b). “Solar power plant proposals likely to be okayed today”. Dhaka Tribune (DT): 1 March 2017.
GEM (2023). “Ghosh Para solar farm” Global Energy Monitor (GEM): 2 December 2023.