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The government plans to purchase electricity at Tk25 per unit from a Chinese-backed waste-to-energy project at Aminbazar, which is expected to generate 42 megawatts of power.
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam disclosed the plan to reporters on Thursday after Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen paid a courtesy call on Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan at the Secretariat.
“The electricity will be purchased at Tk25 per unit,” the state minister said, adding that the project is expected to begin commercial production within 18 months. If completed as scheduled, electricity generated from waste at Aminbazar could be added to the national grid by August or September 2028.
Although the electricity price may appear relatively high, Mir Shahe Alam said the project would help address one of Dhaka’s most pressing challenges—its growing waste-management crisis.
“The government will not have to make any investment in the project,” he said, noting that the environmental benefits and potential carbon-credit gains should also be taken into account.
Besides generating electricity, the project will process waste and produce organic fertiliser. The investor will also pay monthly rent to the city corporation for using the landfill.
The government is also considering a similar waste-to-energy initiative at a landfill under Dhaka South City Corporation, where accumulated waste could potentially generate between 40 and 50 megawatts of electricity a day, the state minister said.
He added that the government has initiated efforts to engage China Power, a Chinese company, regarding the proposed project.
The initiatives reflect a broader effort to turn Dhaka’s mounting waste problem into a source of renewable energy while reducing the burden on landfill sites and improving environmental sustainability.