Kolkata: Noted tycoon Sajjan Jindal and former cricketer Sourav Ganguly are likely to be present for the foundation stone laying ceremony for a power plant at Salboni by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.
Banerjee will lay the foundation stone for a 1,600 MW supercritical coal-based thermal power plant at Salboni in West Midnapore, to be developed by JSW Energy Ltd.
The project worth Rs 16,000 crore will comprise two units of 800 MW each. West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL) has awarded the construction of the power plant to JSW Energy through a competitive bidding process. Coal India Ltd will provide the coal linkage for the plant under the Shakti B(IV) scheme, facilitated by the state government. The greenfield thermal power plant will be one of its kind in eastern India.
JSW Energy will develop the power plant in a design-build-finance-own-operate mode. The first 800 MW unit is expected to be operational within four years, with the second unit following a year later.
Banerjee will arrive at the Jindal factory premises in Jambedia, Salboni, by helicopter. JSW group chairman Sajjan Jindal and other key officials will accompany her. Following the ceremony, the Chief Minister will proceed to the Midnapore Circuit House for an overnight stay.
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who has been appointed as Director of Cricket for JSW Sports, is expected to be present during the ceremony.
Sources said the land where the power project will come up was initially earmarked for a large steel plant by JSW Group in 2008. However, it was halted due to unforeseen circumstances. The JSW Group has a cement-grinding factory at Salboni, and owns a large land bank there.
During the Bengal Global Business Summit in February, 2025, Jindal announced plans to double the plant’s capacity in the future with an additional investment of a similar scale.
On Tuesday, Banerjee will conduct an administrative meeting at the Midnapore College grounds, where additional projects and service delivery plans will be announced.