Sungrow’s Imran Chowdhury signs up to deliver Bangladesh’s first central-inverter PV project.
Image: Imran Chowdhury/Sungrow
The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services unit of Chinese inverter maker Sungrow has secured a 35 MW solar park contract in the Manikganj district of Bangladesh.
The project, which will be the first in Bangladesh to feature central inverters, is being developed by domestic company Spectra Solar Park Ltd with financial support from the Asian Development Bank and German development lender KfW.
Sungrow beat off competition from state-owned rivals PowerChina and China Energy Engineering Corp as well as ERS Malaysia and the Mahindra Susten unit of Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group.
Deal signed
The contract was signed yesterday by Imran Chowdhury, country head for Sungrow Bangladesh, and he told pv magazine: “We are really happy to get quick success in [the] Bangladesh market as [an] EPC and from next year we have the plan to work as [a] project developer [and] IPP [independent power producer] to expand our portfolio in this emerging market.”
Construction is set to start on the project by the second week of January with completion slated for August. The project was approved by the Bangladeshi government’s cabinet committee on public procurement in April 2017. Dhaka is aiming to generate 10% of the nation’s electricity from renewables next year. The government will purchase solar electricity generated at the plant for 20 years at a rate of BDT11.12/kWh ($0.13).
Chowdhury told pv magazine Sungrow is also keen to develop floating solar projects in Bangladesh.
Source: pv magazine
