15 large solar power projects to move ahead under PPP, Ashik Chowdhury says in Doha

The government plans to move 15 large solar power projects forward on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis to increase investment in renewable energy. Ashik Chowdhury, chairman of the Invest Bangladesh authority, said work on the projects would advance in the coming months.

The World Investment Forum 2026, organised by the UN trade and development agency UNCTAD, is under way in Doha, the capital of Qatar. He made the remarks at a ministerial panel discussion at the forum. The information was shared on Sunday in a social media post by Invest Bangladesh.

UNCTAD and the government of Qatar are jointly hosting the three-day forum, which runs until October 27. Held every two years, the forum is the UN's main international platform on investment and development; this is its ninth edition.

At the panel, Ashik Chowdhury was asked about two things: what the environment in Bangladesh is like for renewable energy investors, and how much coordination exists among government agencies. In reply, he said three agencies had been merged to form Invest Bangladesh, creating an opportunity to take the work forward in a coordinated way.

The three agencies are the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and the Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA). The Invest Bangladesh Act, 2026 took effect on August 20, and the agency, under the Prime Minister's Office, began operations on August 23.

Ashik Chowdhury previously served as executive chairman of BIDA. He has been appointed chairman of the new agency on a one-year contract.

Invest Bangladesh's post said the 15 large solar projects in its pipeline would be advanced through PPP in the coming months. However, the post gave no details on how much investment the projects would require, how many megawatts they would generate, where they would be located or when they would be completed.

The government has set a target of meeting 20 percent of the country's total electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040. Against that, according to the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority, installed renewable capacity in the country now stands at 1,852 megawatts, of which solar accounts for 1,473 megawatts — only about 5.5 percent of total installed power capacity.

Past targets were also missed. In 2008 the government set a target of producing 5 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2015; a later target set 10 percent by 2020. Neither target was met.

According to the energy analysis firm IEEFA, getting close to the 2030 target would require adding about 760 megawatts of renewable capacity every year.

Toward that end, in July the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) invited tenders for 12 solar power plants with a combined capacity of 590 megawatts across the country. A fund of 123 million dollars has also been formed to provide loans on easy terms for rooftop solar and other renewable projects.

The Invest Bangladesh authority believes there is no way to meet the target without private investment, which is why this initiative to take up large solar projects under PPP is important.