Sonagazi 75MW solar plant to come online in Dec

The Sonagazi 75-megawatt solar power plant will start supplying electricity to the national grid in December, with the test run beginning this month, officials have said.

They said the power plant in Feni district was initially planned for 50 MW. However, the authority decided to enhance the capacity to 75MW as some $22 million could be saved from the total allocated fund and the required land was available nearby.

Now the work is almost completed, they added.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), the top decision-making body headed by the Prime Minister, on Tuesday approved a proposal regarding capacity enhancement and project tenure until June next year.

The state-owned Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB) is setting up the power plant at a total cost of Tk 8.75 billion. Of the total sum, the World Bank is providing a loan of Tk 7.25 billion, the government is providing Tk 875 million, and the EGCB is contributing Tk 626 million to implement the project.

The initially approved estimated cost of the project was Tk 7.46 billion. However, Project Director Mohammad Anwar Hossain told the FE on Wednesday that the project cost has increased mainly due to the price hike of the dollar against the taka, enhancement of the capacity of the power plant, addition of new tasks, and extension of the project tenure.

Some 187,410 solar modules, a 230-kilovolt substation, two 230/33-kilovolt transformers, 13.33-kilometre 230-kilovolt power evacuation lines and a 230-kilovolt transmission bay extension were installed in the plant to generate electricity.

"The project work is almost completed. We are going to start the test run this month," Mr Hossain said.

In a submission to ECNEC, the project authority said the 8th Five-Year Plan places importance on creating a revenue-saving, efficient, and cost-effective electricity generation system.

Moreover, the plan has set a target to generate 10 per cent of total electricity from renewable sources. Once implemented, the project will add some 75 MW of clean electricity to the national grid.

Also, the project will help lessen dependence on fossil fuels, thereby reducing carbon emissions, it said.

Data available from the National Database of Renewable Energy shows that currently, the country generates some 1,195.26 MW of green power. Of this total, 961.27 MW comes from solar sources, 230 MW from hydropower plants and 2.9 MW from wind.

Bangladesh has set a target to generate 40 per cent of its total electricity from renewable sources by 2041.

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