• A consortium of Metito, JinkoSolar and AlJomaih Energy and Water have won a 55 MW solar power project in Bangladesh
  • They had previously quoted $0.0748 per kWh as the lowest bid, that the BPDB termed as the ‘lowest’ tariff ever reported in the country
  • Project will be located in Rangunia, Chattogram with commercial operations expected to be launched in H2/2021

UAE headquartered water management solutions company Metito along with Chinese solar module producer JinkoSolar and Saudi Arabia’s AlJomaih Energy and Water (AEW) have emerged as the winning consortium of a 55 MW (AC) solar power plant in Bangladesh. AEW is the energy and water arm of AlJomaih Holding Company.

The project was competitively awarded under a tender launched by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) which earlier published that the consortium had offered the lowest bid of $0.0748 per kWh. This was the lowest tariff ever reported in the country, said Metito.

The trio will build the project on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis under a 20-year concession agreement in Rangunia, Chattogram on BPDB land. It will be connected to the Chandraghona grid substation and is expected to come online in H2/2021.

Metito says this is the company’s first alternative energy project in Bangladesh after it entered the alternative energy sector recently with a focus to develop solar, wind and waste-to-energy power projects.

BPDB adjudged the consortium as the winner after securing approval from the Power Division, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR).

In October 2019, the government agency awarded Germany’s ib vogt and Bangladeshi firm AG Agro Industries the rights to develop a 50 MW grid connected solar power plant in Chittagong for the winning bid of BDT 8.75 ($0.10) per kWh (see German Bangladesh Consortium Win 50 MW PV Project).

The Government of Bangladesh has also sought support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to tender up to 50 MW solar power capacity under a public private partnership (PPP) model to mobilize private sector participation (see IFC To Help Bangladesh Tender 50 MW Solar Capacity).