WBPDCL's profit after tax stands at Rs252cr in 2020-21

Kolkata: Setting up a new milestone, the state-owned West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) has achieved a record profit after tax of Rs 252 crore in 2020-21 financial year compared to that of only Rs 15.48 crores in 2019-20 fiscal.

This comes with the highest ever generation of power by WBPDCL since its inception. In the 2020-21 fiscal, the utility has recorded generation of 23.87 billion units of power. It even exceeded the previous highest generation of 23.85 billion units that had taken place in 2014-15.

According to officials increase in both profit and power generation was possible by improving operational efficiency with efficient handling of coal, checking of tube leakages and unit tripping, reducing demurrage. Sources said that the plant availability factor (PAF) for financial year 2020-21 has been improved to 78.43 per cent that stood at 62.17 per cent in the previous financial year.

At the same time there was a savings of around Rs 90.19 crore with a massive reduction in oil consumption rate besides a considerable drop of in demurrage related to inefficiencies in unloading of coal to Rs 3.46 crore in the 2020-21 fiscal from Rs 24.95 crore in 2019-20 financial year.

Additional revenue of Rs 54 crore has been ensured with best ever auxiliary power consumption (APC) of 8.49 per cent and Rs 23 crore has been saved with reduction in boiler leakage. In another significant achievement, WBPDCL has further saved Rs 37 crores by reducing the unit trapping from 86 to 35 and also optimised the revenue earned from fly ash is Rs 45.45 crore this year compared to that of last year's Rs 29.63 crore.

It has also reduced its power sales tariff to WBSEDCL by 70 paisa/unit by operationalising its captive coal mines that ensured supply of coal at a reduced rate. Bakreswar Thermal Power Station, Santaldih Thermal Power Station are poised to finish 2020-21 fiscal in 8th and 20th rank respectively by CEA in all India level.