Bangladesh’s first large solar power plant has gone into operations.
The power plant in Teknaf’s Hnila has a capacity to produce 28 megawatts (MW) and will feed 20MW to the local substation during sunlight hours.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board or BPDB had previously signed a 20-year deal for 20MW of power with the plant’s owner, Joules Power subsidiary Technaf Solartech Energy Ltd or TSEL, said TSEL in a statement.
The solar plant is the first step towards the government’s target of producing 2,000MW of solar power by 2021.
Solar photovoltaic cells use panels to absorb sunlight and convert it directly into electricity.
The plant emits 20,000 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide each year than a similar sized diesel-run plant does.
“It is truly a pleasure to have the opportunity to aid Bangladesh in contributing to the global clean energy revolution to battle the threats of global warming and climate change,” said TSEL Director of Operations Rayan Moyeen.
“We at TSEL wholeheartedly support our prime minister’s initiative to shift our country’s energy mix towards more renewable and sustainable sources such as solar power. Our team has worked relentlessly to bring this project to life and we are proud of our achievement.”
Nuher Latif Khan, managing director of TSEL, thanked the Prime Minister’s Office, the Power Division and the BPDB for their support on the project.
“We would be grateful for the opportunity to work with them on future projects in renewable energy to help advance our countries sustainable development efforts.”
In the statement, TSEL said the plant would help to meet power shortages in the Teknaf region, which often suffers from rolling outages, reports bdnews24.
The project was co-financed by One Bank Ltd and Standard Chartered Bank.
Chief Coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Affairs at the Prime Minister's Office Abul Kalam Azad said, “It’s very good that a new solar power plant has been set up. It was launched very fast.”
In October last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country’s first solar power plant in Jamalpur’s Sarishabarhi.
Asked if 10 per cent renewable energy production will be possible in line with the SDGs, Azad said, "We are very optimistic. We are moving forward with an aggressive plan."