Bangladesh-Saudi JV company to set up 300 MW solar power plant at Rampal
A joint-venture company of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia will set up a 300 MW solar power plant in a location by the Rampal coal-fired power plant, reports news agency UNB.
Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved a proposal in this regard on Wednesday in a virtual meeting with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
The Power Division placed the unsolicited proposal on behalf of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) in the meeting.
The Joint Stock Company’s partners are ACWA Power Company, Saudi Arabia; Comfit Composite Knit Ltd. Bangladesh; Viyellatex Spinning Ltd. Bangladesh and Midland East Power Ltd. Bangladesh.
As per the proposal, state-owned BPDB will purchase electricity from the plant at a tariff rate of Tk 11.067 per kilowatt hour (each unit) over the period of 20 years.
According to official sources, this has been the highest ever tariff in recent years the BPDB accepted when the generation cost of solar power is globally coming down.
The government will need to spend about Tk 107.61 billion for the entire tenure of the contract period.
The Cabinet Committee also approved a number of other proposals of different ministries.
As per approved proposals, Bangladesh Trading Corporation (TCB) will procure 6,000 tonnes of lentil from Nabil Naba Foods Ltd. at a cost of Tk 570.5 million through open tender while 4 million tonnes of rice bran oil will be procured by the organisation from Majumdar Bran Oil Mills Ltd., at a cost of Tk 646 million.
Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will purchase 25,000 tonnes of rock phosphate (72 per cent BPL minimum) for TSP Complex Limited (TSPCL) Chattagram from Agro Industrial Inputs, Dhaka (Main supplier: M/s. Wilson International Trading, Malaysia) at a cost of Tk 978.2 million.
The BCIC will procure 10,000 tonnes of Phosphoric Acid for its company TSPCL, Chattogram from Best Eastern, Dhaka (Main supplier: Guangxi Pengyue Eco-Technology Co. Ltd., China) at a cost of Tk 588.6 million.
The BCIC will import a total of 90,000 tonnes of fertiliser from two companies.
Besides, 30,000 tonnes of bulk prilled urea fertiliser will be imported from Muntajat, Qatar at a cost of over Tk 1.30 billion while another 30,000 tonnes bulk granular urea fertiliser from the same Qatari company at over Tk 1.31 billion under state level agreement.
The BCIC will purchase 30,000 tonnes of bagged granular urea fertiliser from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Limited (KAFCO), Bangladesh at the cost of ovr Tk 1.29 billion.