Rampal:The government has decided to include an eight-hour battery storage system in the proposed 442-megawatt peak solar power project at Rampal in Bagerhat, following directives from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. This initiative aims to ensure storage capacity with new renewable energy projects.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the State Minister for Planning, Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, announced that the battery storage component was extended from an initial four-hour consideration to eight hours. This decision was made during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The Tk 2,502.39 crore project, titled 'Construction of 442 MWp (DC) Solar Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Power Plant at Block-B, Rampal,' was approved by ECNEC. Initially, the solar plant was planned to feed electricity directly into the national grid without a battery storage facility. However, the storage component will now be incorporated into the project, which will necessitate a recalculation of costs.
It was estimated that the generation cost would be around Tk 6 per unit without battery storage, and it would increase to approximately Tk 9 per unit with a four-hour storage system. The final cost will depend on the revised estimate for the eight-hour storage system.
The project will be implemented by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) from July 2026 to December 2029 on 685 acres of usable land in Block-B of the Rampal power plant complex. The solar plant will include solar panels, inverter stations, and a three-kilometre long 230kV double-circuit transmission line to the adjacent Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL) substation.
Saki emphasized that this green energy project is intended to replace the previously proposed fossil-fuel-based power generation facility at Block-B. The project is progressing through environmental assessments and clearance processes.
The solar initiative aligns with Bangladesh's goal of increasing renewable energy's share of the energy mix to 20 percent by 2030. The Rampal solar plant is expected to diversify energy sources, reduce reliance on gas, oil, and coal, and cut carbon emissions.