http://www.theindependentbd.

com/post/44667

21 May, 2016 12:44:23 AM / LAST MODIFIED: 21 May, 2016 12:07:46 PM

6 IPP mega solar power projects hit snag

Independent Online Desk
Although seven gigantic independent power producer (IPP) solar power projects that received the 'Prime
Minister's go-ahead signal' for implementation, the Power Division has so far been able to sign the final
contract only for one project, reports UNB. The lone project for which the contract was signed is 32 MW
(AC) solar park at Dharmapasa in Sunamganj district. The six other projects that have got stuck in
bureaucratic tangle, are 200 MW (AC) solar park at Teknaf in Cox's Bazar, 200 (AC) MW solar park in
Gaibandha, 50 MW (AC) solar park at Sutiuakhali in Mymensingh, 30 MW (AC) solar park at
Gangachara in Rangpur, 20 MW (AC) solar park in Cox`s Bazar and 10 MWp Grid-tied solar power
project at Goainghat in Sylhet.

All these 7 projects are planned to be implemented by private sector sponsors as independent power
producers (IPPs) from which the state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) will purchase electricity
over a period of 20-25 years. All the projects are being implemented on unsolicited basis.
Of the projects, the PDB has been able to sign power purchase agreement (PPA) with the private sector
sponsor -EDISUN-Power Point & Haor Bangla - Korea Green Energy Ltd for 32 MW
(AC) solar park at Dharmapasa, according to official documents obtained by the news agency.
Officials said the biggest project of '200 MW (AC) Solar Park on BOO basis at Teknaf, Cox's Bazar'
received approval of the Cabinet Purchase Committee on October 1 in 2015. But in the last seven months,
the process for signing the PPA could not be completed because of US solar company SunEdison's failure
to purchase about 1000 acres of non-agricultural lands in Teknaf area.
The US company, recently declared bankrupt, could not manage the required fund for purchasing the
huge land.

However, Power Division's joint Secretary Mohammad Alauddin, who is in-charge of renewable energy
issues, said SunEdison has informed the government that fund is not a problem for them as the company's
Singapore-based subsidiary - SunEdison Energy Holding (Singapore) Private Ltd-is responsible for
Bangladesh project which does not have any fund crisis.
He also said the contract signing process is getting delayed because of SunEdison's offer for changes in
some provisions of the contract regarding 'governing law, arbitration, stamp duty on deeds of land
acquisition and 15 years' corporate tax exemption.

Among the other projects, the sponsor of the 50 MW (AC) Solar Park at Sathiakhali is also facing similar
problem as they have also proposed for changes some of the provisions in proposed contracts.
On the other hand, the PDB has issued Letter of Intent (LoI) to the sponsor company Intraco CNG Ltd &
Juli New Energy Co Ltd for 30 MW (AC) Solar Park Project at Gangachara while the proposal of sponsor
company Joules Power limited for its 20 MW (AC) Solar Park, Cox's Bazar project just received the
approval of the Cabinet Purchase Committee.
The proposal of the 10 MWP Grid-Tied Solar Power Project at Goainghat is yet to be forwarded to the
Cabinet Purchase Committee for its approval.
 Monday July 3, 2017 12:15 AM

http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/power-energy/2017/03/01/cabinet-okays-solar-projects/

Cabinet okays 258MW solar power plant projects

Asif Shawkat Kallol, Published at 07:15 PM March 01, 2017

Four consortiums are likely to get the contracts of setting up the solar power plants in different parts of
the country.

Cabinet committee on public purchase has given nod to the proposals on setting up four solar power
plants to produce a total of 258 megawatt in different places across the country with a cost Tk9,158 crore
for next 20 years.
The proposals have been approved in a cabinet meeting presided by finance minister AMA Muhith.
Additional secretary to the cabinet division Mostafizur Rahman told that four consortiums were likely to
get the contracts to set up four solar plants in different parts across the country to meet the growing
demand of electricity.
As per the proposal, the government will buy 258MW electricity from the consortiums for next 20 years
after the plants start their operation.
The consortium of Energon Technologies FZE of the UAE and China Sunergy will set up a 100MW solar
power plant at Borodurgapur mouja in Mongla, Bagerhat under build own operate (BOO) mode.
The government will buy per unit electricity at Tk11.04 and total cost in 20 years will be Tk3,578.28
crore.
The joint venture of Paragon Poultry and Parasol Energy Ltd Bangladesh and Symbior Solar of Hong
Kong will establish an 8MW solar power plant at Tetulia upazila in Panchagarh.
The government will buy per unit electricity at Tk10.40 from the plant with a total cost of Tk268.80 crore
in 20 years.
The consortium of Hanwha 63 City Company, BJ Power Company and Solar City Bangladesh Power
Company will set up a 50MW solar power plant at Ghosh Para upazila, Tangail.
Consortium of Zhejiang DunAn New Energy company ltd,China National Machinery Import and export
Corporation,Solar Tech Power Ltd and Amity Solar Ltd will set 100 MW power plant in Nilphamari and
Lalmonirhat.
It will cost a total of Tk 3628cr in next 20 years as the government has decided to buy per unit electricity
at Tk11.20 from their plant.
In the Seventh Five Year Plan (2016-2020), the government was pledged to reach the target of 2000MW
or 10% of overall power production capacity to be generated from renewable sources by 2020.
Currently, the country has a total power generation capacity of 15,351MW.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/600m-be-invested-258mw-solar-power-1369471
12:00 AM, March 02, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:00 AM, March 02, 2017

$600m to be invested for 258MW solar power

Joint ventures to set up four power plants

Rejaul Karim Byron

Four joint venture companies are going to invest more than $600 million in different parts of the country
to generate 258 megawatts of electricity from solar energy.

The cabinet committee on purchase yesterday approved a proposal to set up the four power plants. The
government will purchase electricity at Tk 10.40 to Tk 11.20 per kilowatt-hour unit.

Funds for the power plants will be raised from international banks and financial institutions, according to
power division officials.

The division has selected the companies based on their financial strength and capacity to raise credit, said
an official.

He said the figure on the actual investment to be made by the companies will be available after
implementation of the projects, which have to be completed within 18 months of signing the agreements.

A consortium of Zhejiang DunAn New Energy Co, China National Machinery Import and Export
Corporation, Solar Tech Power and Amity Solar will set up a 100MW plant in the Teesta barrage area
under Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts. The plant will be run on a built-own-operate basis. The
government will purchase each unit of electricity at Tk 11.20.

The consortium has offered a separate commitment letter on equity financing, while China Development
Bank has submitted a letter of intent on debt financing, according to the power division.

Energon Technologies FZE of the UAE and China Sunergy Co will construct a 100MW solar power plant
at Mongla in Bagerhat. Each unit of electricity will cost Tk 11.04.

The power plant will have three phases: 30MW in the first phase, 30MW in the second phase and 40MW
in the third phase.

Energon Technologies will finance 75 percent of the equity while some 80 percent of the total project cost
will come as debt. Two banks have committed loans for the project. Netherlands Bank is interested to
lend up to $725 million.

A 50MW solar power plant will be set up in Tangail.

A consortium of Hanwha 63 City Co Ltd and BJ Power Company Ltd of South Korea and Solar City
Bangladesh Ltd will construct the plant. The government will purchase power at Tk 10.40 a unit.

The total project cost is $131 million, according to the project proposal.

An 8MW solar power plant will be set up in Panchagarh by a joint venture of Paragon Poultry Ltd and
Parasol Energy Ltd of Bangladesh and Symbior Solar Siam Ltd of Hong Kong. Each unit of electricity
will cost Tk 10.40.

Bangladesh now produces 190MW of electricity from solar energy, according to the Sustainable and
Renewable Energy Development Authority. This represents 44 percent of the renewable energy produced
in the country.

The government is diversifying its energy sources amid depletion of natural gas reserves, which account
for more than half of 8,000MW to 9,000MW of actual electricity generation in the country.

The contribution of renewable energy to overall electricity production is about 2 percent. The government
plans to raise it to 10 percent by 2020.
Bangladesh fires up large-scale solar to boost power generation

By Syful Islam

DHAKA, Nov 20 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The government of Bangladesh has approved
construction of a large-scale solar park as part of a push to increase the share of power from renewable
sources in this electricity-starved country.

The new solar park, which is due to begin generating within the next 18 months, will supply up to 200
megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid.

Sun Edison Energy Holding (Singapore) Pte Ltd will build the park in Teknaf sub-district, the
southernmost point in mainland Bangladesh.

The solar power will be cheaper than electricity from conventional power stations. The tariff rate has been
fixed at Tk 13.26 per kilowatt/hour ($0.17), two-thirds the price of electricity generated by oil-fuelled
plants.

Teknaf is one of several large projects in the pipeline as the government aims to reach a target of 2,000
MW, or 10 percent of overall capacity, generated from renewable sources by 2020.

Current daily grid generation is 7,000 MW, against a peak demand of 8,500 MW, although the actual
need is certainly higher since only 62 percent of the population have access to electricity through the grid.

The government plans to increase installed capacity to 20,000 MW by the end of the decade. Ahmad
Kaikaus, an official at the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources, said in an interview that the
government hopes that 500-600 MW of this will be generated by public-sector solar power plants.

"We have asked public-sector power companies to set up equipment for generating electricity from solar,"
Kaikaus said. "They are carrying out feasibility studies."

Kaikaus said that in addition, scores of local and foreign private-sector companies are submitting
preliminary proposals to invest in solar power generation, with projects ranging in size from 5-100 MW,
and the government is so far considering 14 of these.
Taposh Kumar Roy, chairman of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority
(SREDA), identified a shortage of uncultivated land in this densely populated country as a significant
constraint to planning large-scale solar plants.

"Large-sized solar power plants need a huge area of land to install solar panels. In Bangladesh such
barren field is hardly available. Our policy is to set up such plants only in non-agriculture lands to keep
food production unhampered," he said.

Among the places solar panels could be placed is on rooftops of residential, commercial and industrial
buildings, he said.

At present, renewables account for 405 MW, or around 5.7 percent, of Bangladesh's total daily electricity
generation.

This includes 150 MW from solar home systems, and 11 MW from rooftop systems. A further 230 MW
are generated by hydropower.

The government also is collecting data on wind power potential from 13 locations, he said.

COST OF THE CHANGE

According to Roy, some $2.76 billion will be required to implement both large- and small-scale solar
projects in the country, of which $2.23 billion is expected to come from development partners, with the
rest from government and the private sector.

Ruhul Quddus, a World Bank consultant on solar home systems in Bangladesh, said renewable energy
has become cost-effective as technology constantly improves.

Quddus said an investment of around $1 billion by the state-owned Infrastructure Development Company
Ltd (IDCOL) has enabled the installation of some 3.7 million solar home systems since 2009, as well as
solar-powered irrigation pumps and mini-grids.

The home systems have eliminated the need for 180,000 tonnes of kerosene fuel, saving an estimated
$225 million annually, he said.
According to IDCOL, more than 65,000 solar home systems are now being installed each month. The
company aims to finance 6 million systems by 2017, increasing the estimated generation capacity from
the systems to 220 MW.

Quddus said there also are about 1.4 million diesel-fuelled irrigation pumps in Bangladesh which could
instead run on solar energy.

SREDA's Roy said most of the ongoing renewable energy projects in Bangladesh are financed by donors,
with the funds managed and distributed by IDCOL.

"Since solar projects need big investment, we can't take those from our own resources," he said.

The government is exploring the possibility of getting money for projects from the Green Climate Fund,
Roy said.

Dipal C. Barua, president of Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association, is optimistic that the
government's 10 percent target can be met through public-private partnerships.

Barua said large-scale renewable projects had not been implemented successfully in the past because of
insufficient attention from the government, including a lack of feasibility studies and the absence of a
tariff policy.

The government is now preparing a tariff policy to procure electricity from big renewable power grids,
and this will encourage the private sector to invest, Barua added. (Reporting by Syful Islam; editing by
James Baer and Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of
Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's rights, trafficking and
corruption. Visit www.trust.org/climate)