Mamata announces state plans for slew of power plants

Kolkata: Bengal will add 3,580 MW of thermal power capacity in the next few years, CM Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday. The state also has mega energy plans in the fields of solar, wind and tidal power, she added at a press interaction at Nabanna. Bengal now has a power capacity of 4,815 MW.
The CM mentioned that she would lay the foundation stone for the proposed JSW Group power plant at Salboni on Monday. JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal had announced two supercritical power plants during BGBS in Feb. The 1,600 MW greenfield thermal power project in Salboni is scheduled for commissioning in five years.
The JSW plant had been built at an investment of over Rs 16,000 crore, the CM said. "There is no other project like this in eastern India," Banerjee added.
Banerjee pointed out that the state was planning a slew of power plants as the number of consumers since 2011 had gone up 1.07 crore to 2.3 crore. "Once Deocha Pachami is ready, there would not be any power problem for 100 years," Banerjee said. Bengal was setting up a 660 MW power plant at Sagardighi, which is almost complete, the CM said, and added bidding for another 660 MW power plant under DPL was in the process. Bidding is also in process for a power plant at Bakreswar. Additionally, the state will implement two 800 MW supercritical power plants at Santaldih.
The CM said she was also likely to inaugurate a solar power plant in Goaltore on Tuesday. "With the assistance of a German company, this green project is being developed at a cost of Rs 757 crore. The German firm has borne 80% of the expense while the rest was paid by state govt," said Banerjee, adding that the plant would generate 112.5 MW of electricity.
Saying that during her govt's tenure, the people of Bengal had forgotten the term ‘load shedding', Banerjee added that providing an uninterrupted power supply incurs significant costs for the govt. She emphasised that her goal is to ensure that the next generation can stand on their own feet and face no issues with electricity services.