Country partnership agreement inked to attract investment in solar projects

The government has signed a country partnership agreement with the International Solar Alliance in order to facilitate enhanced solar energy development in Bangladesh.

The agreement will be implemented by December 2026, with the aim of leading Bangladesh into creating a pipeline of bankable solar projects and attracting investments.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a coalition of 123 signatory countries that works to promote or increase the deployment of solar energy technologies as a means of increasing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition in its member countries.

Power Division Secretary Md Habibur Rahman and ISA Director General Ajay Mathur signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides on Thursday at InterContinental Dhaka.

Apart from preparing a solar roadmap, the agreement also includes some collaborations that include the installation of 12 trolley-mounted portable solar irrigation systems of about 2kW capacity, 12 portable solar paddy threshers of about 2kW capacity for Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, a portable solar drinking water plant of about 1.5kW capacity, two rooftop solar projects with a capacity of 22 kW, solar coal storage for the preservation of agricultural products, developing a rooftop project at a railway station, a floating solar project in Gazaria, and the conversion of two manually operated sluice gates to solar-powered auto sluice gates

Attending the programme virtually, Nasrul Hamid, state minister for the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, said that technology and financing are the major necessities to get faster success in solar projects.

"Prioritising renewable and clean energy, we have already identified the challenges of rooftop solar and floating solar. Now it is time to go forward as per the plan," he said.

Ajay Mathur said that they hope to strengthen their collaboration further and collectively make noteworthy strides in solar deployment.

"With policy and regulatory support, investments in solar can be accelerated. Together we hope to build institutional capacities, mobilise investment, and scale up solar adoption," he said.

A multi-stakeholder workshop was held in the post agreement signing session, which was attended by Power Division officials and representatives from the ISA.