The Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB) has unveiled plans to build a 220MW solar power plant in Sonagazi, Feni, marking another step in the country’s push for renewable energy.

The project will be developed on 650 acres of coastal land already held by EGCB. It follows the successful commissioning of a 75MW solar plant at the same site, which has been supplying power to the national grid since February 2024.

EGCB has launched a call for expressions of interest (EoI) from consultancy firms to carry out a grid impact study. The selected firm will analyse how the new plant would affect grid stability, including power flow, voltage, line capacity, and short circuit levels.

“We will begin work once funding is available,” Masud Alam, superintending engineer of EGCB’s Renewable Energy Unit, told The Financial Express. EGCB is seeking foreign investment alongside its own resources.

With salinity making the land in Sonagazi unsuitable for agriculture, the location is considered ideal for solar energy. Existing transmission infrastructure from the 75MW project will be used, reducing costs.

The earlier plant was backed by $89 million in World Bank financing. EGCB has also partnered with Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and Hero Future Energies Asia for additional solar projects in the area and has held funding talks with the Asian Development Bank.

Bangladesh currently has 1,558MW of renewable capacity, with solar contributing 1,264MW. Recent tenders from BPDB aim to add another 5.28 GW of solar power.