Bangladesh prepares tender for 442 MW Rampal solar plant with eight-hour storage

Bangladesh’s Power Development Board is preparing tender documents for a 442-megawatt-peak solar project at Rampal, its chairman told the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha on 25 October. The project has already received approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council. The new development is the move toward tendering; BPDB has not yet invited bids or awarded construction work, according to the report.

The project design includes eight-hour battery storage and 442 MWp of solar capacity on 918.50 acres in Block B of Rampal, Bagerhat. BPDB Chairman Rezaul Karim said construction is expected to begin next year and the plant is expected to start operating by June 2029. These are planned dates, not completed milestones. A new 230-kilovolt transmission connection is also planned to link the site with a nearby substation.

The project is estimated to cost Tk 2,498.08 crore. The report says BPDB would provide Tk 374.71 crore from its own funds, while Tk 2,123.37 crore would come from the Power Sector Development Fund. That fund financing is set at 2% interest, with a one-year grace period and a 16-year repayment period. The financing terms describe the approved project plan; they are not evidence that all funds have been disbursed.

Rampal’s solar site is on land originally acquired for a coal-fired power project. The report says the government acquired 1,834 acres in 2012, divided into two blocks; the existing 1,320 MW Maitree coal plant occupies Block A, while the solar project is planned for Block B. The proposed solar plant’s eight-hour storage is intended to pair generation with stored electricity, although BSS did not report a battery energy capacity in megawatt-hours.

BSS reported a proposed tariff of Tk 6.18 per kilowatt-hour and compared it with an estimated Tk 8.87 for a separate 220 MW solar proposal at Sonagazi. Those are project estimates, not an awarded power-purchase price. The report also cites BPDB data showing solar generation at 1,642.7 MW of national capacity that includes captive generation and renewable energy. Rampal’s tender, final commercial terms and construction schedule remain ahead.