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Chattogram-based Ocean Aid Services Ltd (OASL) is seeking to arrange foreign financing for power and energy infrastructure projects worth more than US$50 million in Bangladesh under an engineering, procurement, construction and finance (EPC+F) model.
OASL Managing Director AHM Manzoor Alam said the company would connect viable projects with qualified foreign investors and financing groups but would not invest its own funds in the ventures.
“We see energy security and the clean-energy transition as complementary priorities,” he said, adding that Bangladesh needed long-term capital, technology and project expertise to meet its growing infrastructure needs.
OASL is exploring opportunities in power generation, renewable energy and energy infrastructure, including utility-scale solar plants, gas-fired and hybrid fast-track power plants, transmission lines, substations, grid automation, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, smart metering and battery energy storage.
The company is also targeting strategic infrastructure such as fuel storage facilities and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminals.
According to Manzoor Alam, the international financing groups OASL is engaging with generally prefer projects worth more than US$50 million, with implementation periods of around two to three years and a substantial import component.
He stressed that no project should be considered a confirmed investment until it receives formal approval.
Specific projects will be determined through official discussions with the relevant ministries, agencies or state-owned entities, he said.
OASL’s immediate priority is to initiate formal discussions with government ministries and agencies to identify projects aligned with national priorities. This would be followed by feasibility assessments, term sheets and the development of financing structures at the appropriate stages.
Under the proposed EPC+F model, government support would include designating a sponsoring ministry or state entity, confirming project priorities, validating documentation and coordinating with relevant agencies.
Where required by the financing structure, support could also include a sovereign loan arrangement through the Ministry of Finance.
Manzoor Alam said local participation would be central to the proposed model, with OASL potentially working alongside ministries, utilities, state-owned entities, Bangladeshi companies, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, and suppliers.
“International partners will bring technology, engineering expertise, equipment, project management and finance, while OASL will handle local coordination and stakeholder engagement,” he said.
The proposed projects could generate employment during construction and operation, facilitate technology and knowledge transfer, support domestic industries and stimulate economic activity around major infrastructure developments, he said.
However, the scale of these benefits would depend on the size, structure and commercial performance of individual projects.
Manzoor Alam also pointed to Bangladesh’s anticipated growth in electricity demand towards 2030 and the relatively small share of renewable energy in the country’s current power mix as opportunities for investment in clean power generation, grid modernisation and energy storage.
He said OASL was committed to operating within Bangladesh’s established regulatory and procurement frameworks.