Bangladesh has inaugurated South Asia’s largest solar power plant, a 600 MW facility in Gaibandha district, developed with support from Chinese firm Jinko Solar and the World Bank. The plant will provide electricity to over 2 million homes and offset nearly 1 million tons of CO₂ annually.
This marks a major leap in Bangladesh’s target of achieving 25% renewable energy by 2030. The plant also includes agrivoltaic modules, allowing farming under solar panels to maximize land use.
Policy advisors in West Bengal and Bihar are studying the agrivoltaic model, considering similar installations along river basins and rural belts. The development also opens up possibilities for power trade under the BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) energy corridor.