The government will purchase electricity generated from waste at Aminbazar in Dhaka from a Chinese company at Tk 25 a unit, state minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam has said.
He made the disclosure while speaking to reporters after a meeting between LGRD and cooperatives affairs minister Abdul Moyeen Khan and Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen, who paid a courtesy call on the minister at the secretariat in Dhaka on Thursday.
According to the state minister, the project will have a generation capacity of 42MW and is expected to begin generation within 18 months.
He said that electricity generated from waste at the Aminbazar landfill, which is managed by Dhaka North City Corporation, could be supplied to the national grid by August or September 2028.
Although the price of electricity may appear relatively high, the project will help address a major waste management problem in Dhaka, Mir Shahe Alam said.
The Bangladesh government will not have to make any investment in the project, he said.
‘Garbage and waste are a major burden for our nation and Dhaka city. The price may seem high. But considering the environmental benefits and carbon credits, the cost will be recovered in other ways,’ Shahe Alam said.
The project will also produce organic fertiliser while processing waste, he said. The investor will pay the city corporation monthly rent for using the landfill, he added.
The state minister said that an initiative had also been taken to generate electricity from waste accumulated at the landfill of Dhaka South City Corporation.
The landfill has the potential to generate 40-50MW of electricity, he said, adding that an initiative had been taken to contact Chinese company PowerChina in this regard.
