Cabinet nod to 100 MW expansion of eastern India’s largest solar power plant at Goaltore

Kolkata: The state Cabinet on Wednesday approved the further expansion of 100 MW of eastern India’s largest solar power generation facility at Goaltore in West Midnapore with a current generation capacity of 112.5 MW that was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday.

“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated eastern India’s largest solar power generation facility at Goaltore on Tuesday with a current generation capacity of 112.5 MW and had announced an expansion of another 100 MW at the same place. The Cabinet has approved the extension. The solar unit has been developed with the support of the German KfW Bank in an 80:20 partnership,” said Manas Bhunia, state Irrigation and Waterways minister.

The 100 MW unit will entail an investment of Rs 680 crore of which 30 per cent will be borne by the state government.

The German company will be spending Rs 475 crore. The project is not only a giant leap forward in our renewable energy mission but will also open new avenues of employment for our local youth,” said Bhunia.

He added that the major advantage of the solar project is the fact that it would be pollution-free.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that the state has set a target of increasing its power generation to 18000 megawatt in the next few years and will be spending another Rs 48000 crore for this purpose.

“When we came to power for the first time in 2011, our generation was 2000 MW. Presently, we are generating 10000 MW. In the next few years, we will be further augmenting it upto 18000 MW. 5 new power projects are coming up,” Banerjee had said.