China’s Exim Bank has expressed interest in financing power sector development projects in Bangladesh, with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations and economic cooperation.
Exim Bank of China president Wang Chunying met Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud on the matter in the ministry’s conference room at the Secretariat on Thursday, 15 October.
Investment Bangladesh chairman Ashik Chowdhury, power division secretary Mirana Mahrukh, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) chairman Engineer Md Rezaul Karim and other senior power division officials, along with an Exim Bank delegation, were present.
The meeting discussed financing for the Payra thermal power plant project, a government-to-government (G2G) project to strengthen the power grid network, and a project to expand and strengthen the power network in the area served by Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC). It also stressed Exim Bank of China financing for various power projects in future.
The power minister said an uninterrupted supply of power and energy is one of the foundations of national development and growth. He asked the bank to consider quick financing for the expansion of the Payra power plant, the building of a smart grid and control systems, and the development of DPDC’s power network.
Referring to Bangladesh’s move to clean energy under the Renewable Energy Policy 2026, he called for faster financing of future projects, stressing in particular modernising the national grid’s control system to build a smart grid, the next phase of the Payra plant’s expansion and the project to strengthen DPDC’s distribution network.
Wang Chunying assured the minister of the bank’s continued support for Bangladesh’s infrastructure development.
Wang welcomed the National Board of Revenue’s (NBR) recent cuts in duties and taxes to encourage investment in green energy.
Wang Chunying expressed interest in financing and sharing technical expertise for solar power, especially ground-mounted and floating solar projects, wind power and waste-to-energy projects.
Both sides agreed to speed up institutional contacts and work to fast-track the approval of financing for the G2G grid strengthening and DPDC network expansion projects. They also agreed to increase cooperation to make Bangladesh’s power sector stronger and more stable.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report