5 Scrapped coal-fired projects: WB advises using sites for solar power plants

The World Bank has recommended using the sites of five cancelled coal-fired projects for setting up solar power plants that could produce up to 3,788 megawatts.

Besides, another solar plant could be built in Jamalpur with a capacity of around 2,518MW, said a WB report presented at a workshop titled "Systematic Identification and Access to Land for Renewable Energy in Bangladesh" at a city hotel yesterday.

The six plants could generate 6,306MW, around 24 percent of the government target of generating 16,000MW of renewable energy by 2030 under the Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan.

The plants would cost around $2.46 billion to set up, said the report submitted to the power ministry.

In June 2021, Bangladesh cancelled 10 coal-fired power projects.

The report, prepared by Land Equity International, said it has analysed the potentiality of the sites of five cancelled coal power plants -- two in Cox's Bazar's Matarbari, two in Patuakhali, and one in Moheshkhali, and found the strong possibilities of this repurposing exercise, both in terms of power generation and financial feasibility.

The proposed 2,462MW Moheshkhali solar plant would be 40 times bigger than the largest solar power plant in service in Bangladesh, the report added.

The benefits of installing the solar plants include reduced power prices, zero pollution and zero carbon emissions. The price of per kWh is now over $.10 and it can drop to $.07 depending on financing model, the report said.

Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, who joined the closing ceremony of the workshop yesterday, said the main goal of the government now is to supply power at affordable prices.

To this end, an initiative has been taken to set up 2,000MW solar power plants within the next two years, he said.

"We have land scarcity and we have to save our agricultural land …. We need to make a plan considering our agricultural land to achieve the goal of generating 40 percent electricity from clean sources by 2041," he added.

In reply to a query from a reporter after the workshop, he said prices of electricity and gas will be determined following their prices in the international market.

He added that the subsidy given by the government in the two sectors will not continue in future. "We are working to make a guideline on fixing prices."