substations on a route between Comilla and Hathazari. An existing 230 kV line between Comilla and the Chittagong region passes by Feni. Government plans included the addition of a substation on this line to connect Feni’s 132 kV substation. Bogra and Khulna both have 230 kV substations already. The Bogra to Sirajganj double circuit 230 kV line, which delivers power from Bogra to Dhaka, has ratings of 597 MVA. At peak hours the lines operate at 21% utilization which leaves space for another 400 MW of energy. Khulna‐to‐Bheramara 230 kV has similar capacities and its utilization at peak is 10%, which also leaves space for connecting solar plants in the short‐term. These 230 kV substations that evacuate the solar power will be located on routes with 400 kV line reinforcements which carry the bulk of inter‐regional power transfer.

Grid‐integration modeling assumed that the planned grid expansions will be realized that is needed for large‐scale deployment of renewables. The Feni site’s grid integration was modeled with the proposed 750 MW of solar and another 100 MW of wind. For Bogra, the assumption was that up to 1000 MW of solar and 100 MW of wind would be connected to the grid. Another 2.4 GW of solar capacity was linked to the grid via the Khulna region. Modeling shows that both Feni and Bogra are ideal locations for the integration of large‐scale solar energy. With the proposed grid‐expansions both sides would comfortably accommodate the modeled solar generation. Khulna’s 230 kV substation will need to be connected to the 400 kV line proposed to link the Rampal power plant with Gopalganj and Dhaka. Without this connection the site will not be able to accommodate the 2.4 GW capacity. Connecting the region directly with Dhaka via a 400 kV line will be critical for large‐scale deployment of solar.

# Near‐term deployment of grid connected solar – the case of Feni

The Government of Bangladesh reportedly committed three sites near the town of Feni for the development of solar parks.<sup>15</sup> The total capacity envisaged could reach up to 750 MW of solar on 2,500 acres of public land and additional wind capacity of 100 MW. Feni is currently connected to the grid via a 132kV substation along the route of Hathazari‐Comilla‐Meghnaghat 230 kV power line. That power line does not yet have a substation and so near‐term projects may need to feed into the 132 kV line. The Government is in the process of developing an additional 230 kV line from which would connect the Chittagong area to the Comilla‐Meghnaghat 230 kV line via Chowmuhani and the Chandpur region. This line would have a substation in Chowmuhani, which is a few kilometers West of Feni.

Our analysis shows that at least 300 MW of solar and wind generation can be connected to the Feni 132 kV substation with limited consequences for the overall grid. The first solar park would be located near the Songazi Municipality just South of Feni. The project would connect a 50 MW solar park and, subsequently, a 50 MW wind farm to the grid. Three 132 kV lines connect Feni to the power grid of Bangladesh. These are each double circuit, each rated 148 MVA. At peak demand hours the three routes to Feni have an average utilization between 20% and 25% on a total of 900 MW. Both lines going West and North connect Feni with Comilla. The line heading West goes to Comilla via Chowmuhani and Chandpur while the line to the North links Feni directly to Comilla. These two lines have a total capacity of 600 MW and during peak hours carry around 150 MW. The 132 kV lines are used to serve local area

> 15 Feni is a district in South‐Eastern part of Bangladesh in between two major load centers of Dhaka and Chittagong. Location of Feni on the Bangladesh power grid is shown in: Power Grid Company of Bangladesh. “GEO Map [for the transmission network]”, 2017. Source: <u>https://pgcb.org.bd/PGCB/?a=pages/geo‐map.php</u>

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