Economic Reporter :
The first ever mini-grid solar power plant of Souro Bangla Ltd was launched in Narsingdi recently. Ambassador of Germany to Bangladesh Thomas Prinz inaugurated the solar power plant as the chief guest.
The ambassador applauded this as an extra-ordinary venture and said Souro Bangla, a local private company, has taken the task of carrying light to the lives of these people living in such remote corners. German government would always stand by the government of Bangladesh in any kind of similar initiative, he assured.
Headmaster of Paratali Kalimuddin High School Alimuddin Chowdhury thanked the initiators for their good initiative. At present, 613 families are subscribers to the plant. Mosques as well as the school going children are being benefited from this power-source. Electricity has reached the shops in the bazar, the ice-cream factory, the auto-rickshaw drivers and agro-irrigation. A 9 kilometer transmission line is in effect that includes seven villages. A new life has emerged in the mundane life of these inaccessible people.
Mini-grid solar plant is a set of electricity generators and, possibly, energy storage systems interconnected to a distribution network that supplies the entire electricity demand of a localized group of customers.
The Souro Bangla mini-grid located at Paratoli Islands, Raipura is finamced by Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), a government owned non-bank financial institution and country’s pioneer in off-grid renewable energy financing. IDCOL has already approved 16 mini-grid projects and has a plan to finance 50 mini-grids by 2018
Mahmood Malik, executive director and CEO, IDCOL, David Kunze, country director, KFW, Tazmilur Rahman, senior sector specialist energy, KFW, SM Monirul Islam, CFO and head of operations, Md Enamul Karim Pavel, head of renewable energy, IDCOL, Nazmul Haque Faisal, unit head corporate affairs, Farzana Rahman, unit head investment (Renewable Energy), Sabbir Choudhury, director, Shouro Bangla Ltd, were present on the occasion as special guests.
