BPDB has issued 2 tenders for 70 MW AC in Cox's Bazar and 25 MW AC in Rangamati, with bids due on August 25, 2026
Winning bidders will undertake EPC, commissioning, land acquisition, and 20 years of operations and maintenance work
The tender comes as Bangladesh expands solar incentives through its 2026-27 budget and seeks to increase renewable energy's share of electricity generation
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has launched tenders for the installation of 95 MW AC of solar power plants and the supply of electrical energy under 2 separate packages.
Of the total capacity, 70 MW AC will be developed near the Chakaria 132/33 kV grid substation in Cox's Bazar. The remaining 25 MW AC will be located near the Chandraghona 132/33 kV grid substation in Rangamati.
The broad scope of work for the winning contractors will include engineering, procurement, and construction of the facility, as well as commissioning and testing. The contractors will also operate and maintain the projects for 20 years after commissioning.
Selected bidders will be responsible for acquiring the land required for the projects.
BPDB will serve as the offtaker, purchasing electricity from the projects while allowing developers to trade carbon credits and renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Both tenders were issued on June 25, 2026. Bids are due by August 25, 2026.
This call follows BPDB’s tender for 10 grid-tied solar projects with a combined 495 MW AC capacity in April 2026 (see Bangladesh Invites Bids For 495 MW AC Solar PV Capacity).
More than 40% of the country’s electricity generation capacity is gas-based. As domestic gas reserves decline and electricity generation becomes expensive, the government acknowledges the need to diversify and reduce Bangladesh’s dependence on imported fuels by increasing the share of renewable energy in the mix.
In its National Budget 2026-27, Bangladesh proposed a series of incentives for the solar sector, including extending a zero-tax rate for the industry until 2035 and offering consumers a 5% tax rebate on payments for solar electricity. Describing solar energy as the country's ‘most important and safest source of clean energy’, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury also proposed exempting key imported solar components from import duty, regulatory duty, supplementary duty, and advance tax until June 30, 2031.
The government also plans to phase out these tax concessions for products that can be manufactured locally, including mounting structures, lithium cells, battery packs, and battery energy storage systems, after June 30, 2028, to encourage domestic manufacturing.
The Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA) welcomed the budget's support for renewable energy but said the announced tax and duty incentives remain limited in scope and are not yet equally accessible across the broader renewable energy value chain.
“A policy environment that benefits only selected business models may limit wider market participation and slow the country’s renewable energy transition,” stated BSREA in a press conference.
Bangladesh targets generating 20% of total electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2030. The target rises to between 30% and 50% by 2050.
Bangladesh is forecast to reach 3.6 GW of cumulative solar PV capacity by 2030, implying annual additions of around 450-500 MW, well below the government's 10 GW target. According to TaiyangNews analysis, future PV deployment is expected to be driven mainly by the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, as political uncertainty has slowed utility-scale solar deployment (see Bangladesh’s Solar PV Capacity Falls Short In Shielding the Economy From Global Energy Crisis).
