The proposed Tk 24.98 billion plant would use land already prepared for power infrastructure; a separate plan to buy 30 metre-gauge locomotives is also on the ECNEC agenda.
Bangladesh’s Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) is due to consider a 442-megawatt solar power plant in Rampal, Bagerhat, on October 7. The project is estimated to cost Tk 24.98 billion. The Planning Commission says 13 projects worth a combined Tk 162.04 billion are being put forward for approval at the meeting.
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) would implement the solar project. Work is planned from September 2026 to March 2029. The proposed financing includes Tk 3.74 billion from BPDB’s own funds and Tk 21.23 billion from the Power Sector Development Fund.
The plant is planned for Block B of land BPDB acquired in 2012 for power infrastructure, so no additional land acquisition is expected. Part of the original site is occupied by the Maitree coal-fired plant; land preparation and a boundary wall have been completed on the remaining area designated for the solar project.
The plan specifies panels rated at a minimum peak capacity of 640 watts, 360 MW of grid-tied inverters, a pooling substation and a three-kilometre, double-circuit 230-kilovolt transmission line. Project documents also list administrative and staff facilities. The government expects the project to add solar generation and reduce fossil-fuel use; these are projected benefits, not results already achieved.
ECNEC is also expected to consider buying 30 metre-gauge locomotives for Bangladesh Railway. The project is estimated at Tk 27.69 billion, including Tk 8.11 billion in government funding and a proposed Tk 19.58 billion loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Project documents put a locomotive’s economic life at 20 years and say 115 of Bangladesh Railway’s metre-gauge locomotives have exceeded that period. Because conversion of metre-gauge lines to dual gauge has been delayed, the railway still needs the locomotives. The proposal also covers spare parts and other equipment.