Dhaka: The Bangladesh government has allowed a private farm to install an 18-megawatt solar power plant.
Power Division officials said the state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) has already signed a deal with the local company for purchasing power from the proposed 18-mw plant at Bazitpur in Kishoreganj.
A local private farm -- Solarium Power Limited (SPL) -- is going to set up the country's first large-scale solar power system to supply electricity to the national grid. The proposed plant would also contribute to reducing carbon emission to a significant amount, sources said.
Bangladesh is heavily dependent on natural gas for generating electricity. The present gas supply crunch remains as a major hurdle to the country's power generation against continuously growing demand.
Some private farms and state-owned agencies have installed solar systems, which can generate small-scale electricity for domestic purposes only.
SPL will set up the 18mw solar power plant, investing Tk 2.00 billion within two years from the date of signing the contract, an executive of the company said. The state-owned PDB will purchase electricity from the plant at Tk 5.50 per kilowatt hour, he said.