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IDCOL to install 1,500 solar-powered irrigation pumps by 2016

Suman Saha
The Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL) plans to install 1,500 solar-powered irrigation pumps across Bangladesh by 2016, in a bid to promote alternative energy and limit reliance on fossil fuels.
The new pumps will run on a combined 12 megawatts (MW) of power to be generated by solar panels, projected to save the government nearly Tk 65 crore in fuel-subsidy costs spreading across 20 years.
The project will cost Tk 530 crore. IDCOL, a non-bank financial institution, will finance Tk 370 crore: Tk 160 crore in soft loans andTk210 crore in grants to be provided by the World Bank, KWF and other donor agencies.
The remaining Tk 160 crore will by provided by the equity participants.
IDCOL is currently working with Network for Universal Service and Rural Advancement, Rural Communication Network and Services Ltd and Grameen Shakti, to set up the solar irrigation pumps -- but it is open to applications from interested parties.
IDCOL will review the proposals based on a number of criteria, such as financial capability, technical know-how and viability of the project.
IDCOL has already installed seven solar irrigation pumps in as many upazilas, with plans to set up another 50 pumps by the year-end.
“We want to install more solar irrigation pumps across the
country as it will ensure a sustainable energy solution and reduce dependence on dieselrun irrigation pumps,” said Mahmood Malik, IDCOL's chief executive officer.
Bangladeshi farmers, at present, rely on some 266,000 electrically powered water pumps which consume around 1.300MW to irrigate 1.7 million hectares of land.
And during the peak growing season, a further 1.3 million die-sel-run pumps, using up 900,000 tonnes of fuel, are operated to irrigate the additional 3.4 million
hectares of land, data from Bangladesh's power and energy ministry revealed.
Currently, the government provides around Tk 24-26 per litre of diesel as subsidy.
“Installation of solar irrigation pump will certainly help the country to save a huge amount of foreign currency,” Malik said.
Based on a number of criteria that includes the capability to produce at least three crops a year, off-grid areas and immunity to floods, the company has already selected 100 upazilas to set up the solar pumps.
The installation of a solar pump with a capacity to lift around 5 lakh litres of water, sufficient to irrigate 15-20 acres, and other costs will require around Tk 35 lakh.
The low maintenance costs, together with the 20 to 25 years of warranty, make the solar irrigation pumps attractive to farmers, according to Malik.
A farmer has to pay Tk 1,000-Tk 3,000 for each bigha of land as irrigation charge for a crop season.
suman.saha@thedailystar.net