Summary:
Kolkata: The state Power department's efforts to reduce dependence on coal-based thermal power and harness more and more solar power has received a big boost, with a private player submitting a proposal to the department for setting up a 800 megawatt solar power plant. We are trying hard to ensure that the project takes off as this will be the biggest solar project in the country," state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said on the sidelines of the 10th Energy Conclave 2019 organised by CII on Saturday. Land is a major issue in the state for big solar projects and so the Power department is coming up with small units for harnessing solar power. In the last three years, solar power generation in the state has gone up from 2 megawatt to 132 megawatt. Chattopadhyay reiterated that Bengal is a power surplus state and ensures round-the-clock power supply for consumers, the number of whom stands at 1 crore 93 lakh..