Kolkata: Bengal government is planning to incorporate latest technologies to reduce the distribution and transmission losses, state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said.
Speaking at the 9th Energy Conclave organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at a city hotel on Friday, the minister announced that his department is planning to add 2000MW over the next five years, including 300MW of solar power.
"The power department has been considering various options to reduce the distribution losses. At the same time, we are planning to generate another 2000MW of power over the next five years. There will be a mix of thermal, solar, hydro and other alternative sources in the capacity addition," Chattopadhyay maintained.
Apart from introducing latest technologies to reduce distribution losses, efforts are also made to improve the quality of power. The minister said the old thermal power plants will gradually be replaced by modern facilities to improve power generating efficiency. The power department will adopt most advanced technology to reduce distribution losses.
He also said the state government has made significant improvement in the field of power generation. Renewable energy has been given special thrust since Mamata Banerjee came to power.
The renewable energy has become an important component for achieving energy security, said the minister.
"When we came to power, merely 1MW solar power had been generated in the state, but now the solar capacity of the state would be around 200MW. Around 300MW of solar capacity will be added in the next five years," the minister added. Speaking at the programme, Damodar Vallley Corporation (DVC) Chairman Prabir Kumar Mukhopadhyay said there is a plan to set up a 1500MW of pump storage facility at Jahrkhand's Bokaro at an estimated cost of Rs 5,200 crore.
The new project would come up at Lugu Pahar near Bokaro. A pre-feasibility study has been completed. A detailed project report will be prepared and be completed in the next two years, Mukhopadhyay said.
"The total project cost is estimated at Rs 5,200 crore and will act as a storage facility for solar power generating units," he said on the sidelines of the Energy Conclave on Friday.He also said they are expecting to start selling power to Bangladesh within a month.
Speaking at the occasion, Md Abdul Kalam Azad, Principal Coordinator Prime Minister's Office of Bangladesh said: "We are currently importing around 700MW of power from India and an import of about 500 MW of additional power will be commenced soon."
Bangladesh has signed an agreement with an Indian company to import 600-800MW of power through a dedicated transmission line, Azad said on the sidelines of the Energy Conclave.