Construction of the country’s second-largest solar power plant in Madarganj, Jamalpur, remains stalled despite fresh approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), with nearly 60 per cent of physical work already completed before the project was suspended.
The 100-megawatt solar power plant was reapproved in August 2026 at a revised cost of Tk1,612.73 crore after construction work was completely stopped in November 2025. The project had faced delays due to the global economic slowdown, rising dollar prices, successive floods, political changes and complications in foreign loan disbursement.
Local residents and stakeholders have demanded a quick restart of the mega project, saying its completion would help address electricity shortages in greater Mymensingh and northern regions.
The plant is being built on 325.65 acres of land at Kaizar Char under Jor Khali Union of Madarganj Upazila. Launched in 2021, the project was expected to generate around 178,274 megawatt hours of electricity annually.
On 19 August this year, the project received fresh Ecnec approval in a revised form. Stakeholders said no further financial or policy barriers remained after the approval. However, the absence of visible construction activity has created uncertainty among local people.
The contract of Switzerland-based project consultant AFRY Switzerland Ltd expired in June 2025. Stakeholders claimed that the project’s progress was further affected as no new consultant was appointed for more than a year.
On 25 August this year, Atlana Enterprise, a Bangladeshi consulting firm, was appointed as the new consultant. Stakeholders expressed concern that appointing an inexperienced consultant could pose risks to the project.
The project’s main Indian engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Amara Raja Ilka Private Limited stopped receiving material supplies following an RPCL letter issued on 15 September 2025, according to people involved with the project. The company’s outstanding payments remain unpaid, bringing construction activities to a halt.
The contractor has been waiting with two large batching plants, manpower, workers, construction materials and other resources. Stakeholders said the company has been bearing significant daily expenses to maintain these resources and retain manpower despite the suspension of work.
The transmission line project has also been affected. The prolonged suspension has created difficulties in protecting tower materials from theft, while imported project materials have remained unused for a long time and face risks of theft and quality deterioration.
During a site visit on Thursday, it was found that a major portion of the work had been completed before the suspension. RCC blocks to protect the char area from river erosion, land filling and solar panel frames were completed, while the 47-kilometre-long 132-kilovolt transmission line to the Ghatail grid substation in Tangail was nearing completion. Only final-stage work remains before production begins.
After land acquisition, 241 landless river erosion-affected families were rehabilitated in a planned housing project with concrete houses. The project also includes plans for a primary school, health centre, market, mosque and graveyard, and is a partial agrivoltaic project with plans for turmeric, ginger and green chilli cultivation under solar panels and fish farming during the monsoon.
However, several families were still found living inside the project area. Mst Sabura Khatun, wife of Ajibor Akand, said, “We have two sons, one daughter, a mother-in-law and a son’s wife in our family. We currently live in four rooms. They have given one room for these seven people. How can we move there?”
Local resident Rafiqul Islam said the power plant had changed the face of the neglected char. “Since the work has remained suspended, our hopes also seem stuck. As the approval has already been given, we want the work to start from tomorrow. Once the power plant starts, our region and the entire country will benefit,” he said.
Jamalpur Science and Technology University Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) Department Chairman Md Sizar Rahman said the Madarganj 100MW solar power plant was part of the government’s initiative to convert at least 20 per cent of total electricity demand to renewable energy by 2030.
He said the plant, which will be connected to the Ghatail electricity grid, would help reduce peak-hour power shortages in Jamalpur, Tangail and neighbouring districts. The project would also reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support green energy production while preventing significant carbon emissions annually.
However, Rahman said the project faced environmental challenges, including grid quality risks if isolation systems fail and potential solar panel waste after the plant’s 25–30-year lifespan.
Project Director Jahangir Alam told TIMES of Bangladesh over the phone that minor works were continuing and the remaining major work would begin within a few weeks. “Once the main work starts, all problems will be resolved and the work will be completed quickly,” he said.
