Haldia Energy plant in West Bengal to generate 600 MW

Billed as the single largest private sector investment in West Bengal, the Rs 4,600-crore Haldia Energy plant to generate 600 MW of thermal power was commissioned today. 

"This is probably the single largest private sector investment in Bengal. With this plant, our group's total investment in the state now stands at Rs 20,000 crore. This is also the single largest consolidated investment in the state," Sanjiv Goenka, chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, told reporters here today.

Haldia Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CESC Limited run by Goenka and the power generated in Haldia would be used to supply electricity in the power utility's licensed areas in Kolkata. He said that the average time taken to build a plant of a similar capacity is 48 months, but they had achieved their target of finishing the work in around 36 months.

Inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the 600-MW coal-fired power project is built on a 317 acre plot at a cost of Rs 4,600 crore. The first unit of the plant will begin generating electricity next month while the second unit will be commissioned in February. CESC currently has four thermal power plants with a total capacity of 1225 MW.