Author: PPD Team Date: 21/02/2025
The Government of West Bengal has allocated Rs 41,410 million for the Department of Power in the State Budget 2025-2026. A sum of Rs 816 million has been proposed for the Non-Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources department.
Plans include the installation of static meters for 726,000 consumers, expansion of e-vehicle charging infrastructure at 187 locations, and a 125 MW ground-mounted solar power project in Goaltore, Paschim Medinipur. The government is also undertaking a 150 MW grid-connected solar pump project under the PM-KUSUM scheme. The state has also proposed four new supercritical thermal power units in Santaldih, Bakreshwar, and Durgapur, with a total capacity of 2,920 MW and an estimated cost of Rs 233.6 billion over four years.
In Odisha, Rs 4.26 billion has been allocated for Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) to expand IB Thermal Power Project Stage-III by adding two 600 MW supercritical units. Additionally, Rs 1.1 billion has been set aside for Odisha Hydro Power Corporation’s pumped storage projects. Other budget allocations include Rs 5 billion for a disaster-resilient power system, Rs 14.46 billion for power infrastructure development under the Chief Minister Power Development Programme, and Rs 500 million each for a green energy evacuation corridor and the Odisha Renewable Energy Development Fund.
The Uttar Pradesh government has signed an MoU worth Rs 40 billion with Hero Future Energies to invest in clean technology and renewable energy. It has also set a target to increase forest and tree cover by 15% by 2030. To support farmers, Rs 164 billion has been allocated for power subsidies, including Rs 24 billion for uninterrupted power supply to private tubewells and Rs 18 billion for tariff subsidies to private tubewell consumers. The state has allocated 6.7% of its total expenditure to the energy sector, higher than the 4.7% average allocation for urban development by states.
The Rajasthan government has proposed providing 150 units of free electricity for households. The budget also includes plans to equip the homes of eligible families with solar panels to promote sustainable energy use. For those without space for solar panels, community solar plants will be established to ensure equal access. Additionally, the government has proposed 0.5 million new domestic electricity connections and 5,000 new agricultural connections to expand electricity access across the state.