Author: PPD Team Date: 20/02/2025
The Government of West Bengal (GoWB) has commissioned a total of 117.5 MW solar power projects in the state. This includes a 112.5 MW solar power project under Phase-I at Goaltore in Garbeta-II Block, West Medinipur district. The project is part of the 200 MW Ramnagar II Solar PV Project, being developed by West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL), with 125 MW in Phase I and 75 MW in Phase II.
Additionally, a 5 MW floating solar power project has been installed on Raw Water Pond No. 4 at Santaldih Thermal Power Station (STPS) at an estimated cost of Rs 409.6 million.
Despite these developments, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized the state’s slow adoption of solar energy. The state has installed only 0.31 GW of solar projects, which is 5% of its estimated solar capacity of 6.26 GW. The BJP’s criticism follows Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy and Power Shripad Yesso Naik’s response in the Rajya Sabha on February 4, 2025, to a question by BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya.
Mr. Naik stated that West Bengal has an estimated renewable energy potential of 10.48 GW, with 6.26 GW of solar capacity. As of December 31, 2024, the state had installed 2.10 GW of renewable energy, including 0.31 GW of solar projects, which accounts for 0.3% of India’s total solar energy capacity.
BJP leader Amit Malviya questioned why the state is lagging in solar expansion. He urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to prioritize solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, lower electricity costs, and generate green jobs.
Ms. Banerjee, however, maintains that West Bengal is a ‘power surplus’ state. At the Bengal Global Business Summit, she reiterated this claim, emphasizing the Deocha Pachami coal project in Birbhum, which she said would ensure a power surplus for 100 years.