AHMED HUMAYUN KABIR TOPU, Pabna

The Padma river has been retreating for decades, gradually exposing vast stretches of char land that were later brought under cultivation by local farmers for crops such as bananas and vegetables.

Today, parts of this shifting river landscape are powering the national grid.

Two large solar parks now operate on the riverbanks of Pabna Sadar and Sujanagar upazilas, collectively supplying 164 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, according to project officials.

Their emergence has turned a once-isolated rural frontier into an emerging hub of renewable energy infrastructure, while also reshaping local land use and livelihoods.

The larger facility, a 100MW solar park at Char Bhabanipur in Pabna Sadar upazila, was developed by Dynamic Sun Energy Private Limited, a subsidiary of Paramount Textile PLC, on around 400 acres of former shoal land.

The plant has more than 2,74,000 solar modules and 760 inverters. It began commercial operation on October 23, 2024, and now supplies up to 100MW of electricity to the national grid daily, project officials said.

Funded through a $121.55 million package led by the Asian Development Bank, the project uses solar photovoltaic technology with no direct emissions. It is expected to generate about 193.5 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, offsetting roughly 93,654 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

“We are consistently supplying around 100MW of green power to the national grid,” said Plant Director Jahurul Islam.

The second project, a 64MW solar park in Sagarkandi under Sujanagar upazila, began commercial operation on August 26 last year. Built on 205 acres of shoal land, it uses about 1,47,000 solar modules and 11 inverters.

It was developed by Bangladesh-China Renewable Energy Company Limited, a 50:50 joint venture between the North-West Power Generation Company Limited and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

Both projects are part of Bangladesh’s plan to generate 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2041.

On the ground, the transformation is visible. Char Bhabanipur, once lacking paved roads and falling into darkness after sunset, now has concrete roads and round-the-clock transport movement.

Brick houses and permanent shops are replacing seasonal agricultural structures.

Land values have also surged sharply. Plots that sold for around Tk 2-3 lakh per bigha a few years ago now fetch Tk 7-8 lakh, while prime highland plots exceed Tk 12 lakh.

However, the shift has also brought displacement concerns.

“I had to give up five of my seven bighas to the electricity project,” said farmer Shofi Molla. Although he received compensation and invested it in small businesses for his family, he is no longer engaged in farming.

Another resident, Mobarak Bepari, who lost all four of his bighas, said hundreds of farmers were affected as farming space shrank and land prices rose sharply.

Pabna Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam said the land for Sagarkandi Solar Park was originally government land and was leased to the plant authority following due procedure.

As it is government land, there is no scope for compensation, he added.