State-owned power generation company Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB) has planned to set up the power plant with financing from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
The company has sent a project proposal titled ‘Setting up Sonagazi 220 MW Solar Power Plant’ to the Planning Commission at a cost of Tk 1,888.10 crore.
A scrutiny and evaluation meeting (PEC) will be held tomorrow (Sunday) at the Industrial Energy Division of the Planning Commission on the project. If the project is implemented, this will be the largest solar power plant in the country.
It is learned that an initiative has been taken to install 469,560 solar PD modules and 26 grid-connected inverters in this power plant to generate 10 per cent of the country’s total electricity.
In 2017, 1,000 acres of land were acquired to set up a renewable energy solar power plant in the East Baradholi area of Sonagazi, Feni. Initially, a 75 MW solar power plant was set up using 285 acres of the acquired land. The Power Department has taken the initiative to set up another 220 MW solar power plant on the remaining 715 acres.
A 240 MV electrical substation, four 230/233 kV transformers and auxiliary transformers, a 13.3 km second circuit of the 230 kV transmission line and a GIS bay at the BEZA substation and an AIS bay at the 75 MW substation of the EGCB will be constructed. In addition, a 6.89 km water-retaining embankment (dyke), a 2.67 km long CC block will be installed on the southern dyke, and a control room and a five-storey dormitory building will be constructed.
Meanwhile, on June 29 this year, the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) jointly signed an agreement to implement the project.
The latest information on the EGCB website says that the construction of a total of four power plants has been completed. These include the 335 MW combined cycle power plant in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj, the 240 MW Siddhirganj peaking power plant, the 75 MW Sonagazi solar power plant and the 412 MW combined cycle power plant in Haripur.
