The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has launched a tender for the construction of 495 MW of grid-tied solar power capacity across 10 locations in Bangladesh.

The proposed solar plants will have capacities ranging from 25 MW to 100 MW.

The projects are planned in Kishoreganj, Chattogram, Kurigram, Mymensingh, Cox’s Bazar, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Netrokona and Tangail districts.

A. K. M. Mohiuddin Azamy, director of the IPP Cell at BPDB, said the plants will be developed near existing substations in nine districts as part of the government’s plan to reach 10,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.

“The bidders themselves will buy land for the plants,” he said, adding that bidders will also propose the tariff at which they are willing to sell electricity to BPDB.

Azamy confirmed that the government will not provide land or other development support, and that the projects will be fully privately financed.

Bidders are required to submit a tender security of $5,000 per MW.

The deadline for submission of tender documents is June 28, while the last date for purchasing tender documents is June 25. A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for May 18 at the Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka.

Imran Chowdhury, director at Bangladesh Sustainable and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA), said the tender has raised “serious concerns” among private sector investors.

“Despite the weak response to last year’s tenders, BPDB has largely retained the same structure, which previously failed to attract meaningful competition, particularly from international investors,” he told pv magazine.

He said the approach appears inconsistent with the government’s newly introduced PPP policy, which is expected to facilitate land for private developers.

“In contrast, the current tender places the burden of land acquisition back on investors, which remains one of the most significant bottlenecks in project execution,” said Chowdhury, an expert in utility-scale project implementation.

He added that key bankability issues remain unresolved. “The absence of a clear payment security mechanism and the lack of strong contractual safeguards continue to be major concerns for both private developers and international lenders. These are not minor gaps; they directly affect financing viability and investor confidence,” he stated. “If these fundamentals are not fixed, participation will remain limited and project execution will suffer.”

Chowdhury urged the government to shift toward PPP-driven, land-supported and bankable solar project structures instead of the current bidding model.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.