Bangladeshi authorities are pursuing proposals to build ten PV power plants with a capacity of 50 MW each in different regions.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has issued a tender for the construction of ten solar power plants each with an electricity generation capacity of 50 MW, at ten different locations in the country.
The plants will be set up close to the existing network substations in Cox’s Bazar, Gopalganj, Chuadanga, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Faridpur, Habiganj and Mymensingh districts.
Bidding documents became available from January 8 this year and can be purchased until March 9. Bidders will have to pay a security amount of US$5,000 for each megawatt of electricity.
Rashedul Houque Prodhan, secretary of the company, told BPDB pv magazine they expect both foreign and local investments for setting up the solar power plants. “They can set up the factories in a joint venture or as separate entities. This is open to everyone,” he said.
Nur Mohammad Shamsuzzoha, director of the IPP cell under the BPDB, said the government will buy electricity from the solar power producers for a period of 20 years but will have no stake in the companies. “We are getting good responses from investors. A good number of bid documents have already been sold,” he said.
To attract more and more investments in solar projects, the government twice expanded incentives for renewable energy-based power plants in October and November. In mid-November, the government decided that green power plants that come into commercial operation between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2030 will enjoy tax exemption facilities for 15 years.
Of their total term of office, they enjoy a 100% tax exemption for ten years, a 50% tax exemption for the next three years and a 25% tax exemption for the next two years.
The government has also withdrawn a 5% advance on value added on the import of equipment related to renewable energy generation.
Bangladesh now has a capacity to generate 1,550 MW of electricity from renewable sources, of which 1,256 MW from solar energy alone.
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