442MW Rampal solar project awaits ECNEC approval

The government has planned to set up a Tk 2,502.39 crore project to build a 442-megawatt-peak (DC) solar photovoltaic power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat, aiming to increase renewable power generation and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The proposed “Construction of 442 MWp (DC) Solar Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Power Plant at Block-B, Rampal” project will be implemented by Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) under the Power Division from July 2026 to December 2029.

The project proposal would be placed before the ECNEC on Wednesday for final approval, according to the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) of the Planning Commission for scrutiny.

Of the total estimated cost, Tk 375.35 crore will come from BPDB’s own resources, while Tk 2,127.03 crore will be financed from the Power Sector Development Fund.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) had given in-principle approval on May 22, 2022 for financing Tk 2,380 crore, equivalent to 85 percent of the project’s then-estimated cost, from the Power Sector Development Fund.

The project will be implemented on 685 acres of usable land in Block-B of the Rampal power plant complex.

BPDB acquired 1,834 acres of land in Rampal in 2012, dividing it into Block-A, covering 915.50 acres, and Block-B, covering 918.50 acres.

Block-A houses the 1,320MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant, while Block-B remains under BPDB.

Land development, preservation work and construction of a boundary wall have already been completed there.

According to the project proposal, 76.63 acres of Block-B have been kept as a green belt, 32.87 acres for flood protection embankments, 94 acres as low-lying land and around 30 acres as a lake.

The proposed solar plant will include installation of solar panels, inverter stations, a pooling substation, power evacuation facilities and other civil works.

The project will also engage foreign consultants for 32 person-months and local consultants for 52 person-months.

Electricity generated by the plant will be converted to 230kV through 0.8/33kV and 33/230kV substations and evacuated through an approximately three-kilometre 230kV double-circuit transmission line to the adjacent Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL) 400/230kV substation.

Three new 230kV bays, including one spare, will have to be constructed at the BIFPCL substation for connecting the solar plant to the national grid.

The project proposal says the plant is intended to support the government’s renewable energy target, fuel diversification and reduction of carbon emissions.

It says Bangladesh’s power generation capacity currently stands at 32,332MW, with renewable sources accounting for 1,216MW, or 3.76 percent.

The government has set a target of raising the share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix to 20 percent by 2030, according to the proposal.

The project is also aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 7, which seeks affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

The proposal says the solar plant will help reduce reliance on gas, oil and coal and avoid emissions of carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter associated with fossil-fuel-based generation.

The project was initially examined through an in-house feasibility study by BPDB in March 2022.

The Planning Commission has raised an issue over the feasibility study, noting that the relevant government guideline requires investment projects costing more than Tk 50 crore to undergo feasibility studies by experienced, independent and professional institutions or consultants.

However, a detailed feasibility study by Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Company (IIFC), a government-owned institution, was completed in May 2025.

Based on its recommendations, the draft Development Project Proposal (DPP) was sent to the Power Division on June 4, 2025.

The project scrutiny committee held a meeting on February 25, 2026, after which the Power Division sent the DPP to the Planning Commission. -UNB