By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal is currently emphasising on generating more hydroelectric power to restructure its energy procurement basket, a state official said Thursday.
“We have a significant amount of thermal resources in our power procurement basket. 90 percent of the power generated in the state is from thermal stations, while hydro electricity is only 10 percent. So, our strategy now is to exploit all possible hydro resources,” Principal Secretary, Power, Malay De, said at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event here.
De said the government was planning to set up a 1,000-MW pumped storage power plant in the Purulia district, investing about Rs.2,500 crore.
The plant would be under the West Bengal State Electricity Development Corporation Limited (WBSEDCL) and the detailed project report was being prepared, he said.
WBSEDCL already operates a 900-MW pumped power facility in the district.
De said the central government’s Rs.1.9 lakh crore bailout package for state electricity boards was a “knee-jerk reaction”.
“It is only when the financial sector was affected (in the form of high exposure to the power sector) that they decided to take action,” he said.
Stating that West Bengal was running an “efficient system”, he said the bailout package would primarily benefit Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana, but not his state.