Dhaka, Bangladesh (CU)_ Eleris Energy of the United States has committed to build five 200MW solar farms on the Swarna Dweep island, which is overseen by the Bangladesh army and utilized for training activities. The capacity is expected to be operational within five years. A committee established to offer pensions for retired Bangladeshi army troops has announced an agreement to provide 1GW of solar energy capacity to the country within five years.
As part of the agreement with the US-based power producer Eleris Energy Ltd, five 200MW solar farms will be constructed on the Swarna Dweep island in the Bay of Bengal, which is used for training by the Bangladesh Army. The plants will be linked to the Bangladeshi grid and will export all the excess electricity not required for on-site use, which will assist the country in meeting its goal of obtaining 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2041.
The agreement, which was recently signed in Dhaka by Eleris chief operating officer Jerry Price and Army Welfare Trust managing director brigadier general Abul Mansur Md Ashraf Khan, follows a memorandum of understanding inked in 2021 between Eleris and various Bangladeshi partners regarding 2.2GW of solar projects.
The solar farms will be built on a 360-square kilometer island in the Meghna River in Bangladesh’s southeast, in the Noakhali district of the Chittagong division. According to Houston-based Eleris’ LinkedIn profile, it builds energy projects in exchange for controlling shares in the facilities. Eleris and the Army Welfare Trust made no financial disclosures concerning the solar proposal. Bangladesh now has a renewable energy producing capacity of around 780MW.
