Robi Axiata, a major mobile phone operator in Bangladesh, is set to sign a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday with FloSolar Solutions Ltd—a concern of the AK Khan Group—and France-based GreenPower Asia to jointly develop a 100-megawatt (MW) solar power plant.
The initiative, however, is proceeding without the necessary regulatory approvals, raising questions among energy sector officials.
FloSolar is a sister concern of the AK Khan Group, which once operated AKTel—later acquired by Malaysia’s Axiata Group and now operating in Bangladesh as Robi Axiata.
Under the proposed partnership, Axiata Group will initially invest 20 to 30 percent of the project’s total capital. The remaining funds are expected to be contributed by FloSolar Solutions Ltd and GreenPower Asia.
“We are not required to obtain permission from regulators or any government entities since the plant will be developed under the merchant power policy,” said Shahed Alam, Chief Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Officer at Robi.
However, a senior official from the Power Division contradicted this claim, stating that the merchant power policy is still in draft form. “We have prepared a draft policy and plan to seek public opinion before it is finalised,” the official said.
Robi has identified three potential sites for the solar plant—government-owned land in Matarbari, private land in Noakhali, and an area near the Kanchan Bridge.
Reacting to the development, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Chairman Jalal Ahmed said, “Robi has not approached us for any permission related to this project. They will, however, need licenses for construction, generation, transmission, and distribution phases.”
Similarly, an official from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) confirmed that no merchant power policy has yet been approved. “We currently have no framework to support such a project outside the existing competitive tendering system,” the official said.
He further noted that Bangladesh has already installed 763MW of solar capacity, and the government has plans to add another 5,800MW through transparent and competitive bidding.
“We cannot negotiate tariffs outside the tendering process. I am unaware of Robi’s initiative, and in the absence of a policy framework, such a project would lack legal standing,” he added.
The official also recalled that during the previous Awami League government, several solar projects were scrapped due to procedural inconsistencies and lack of policy alignment.