West Bengal is among the few states to provide 24x7 power to all consumers. 99.99% of villages and 94% households were electrified as of July 2015. The State is working towards achieving a target of 100% electrification.

As of November 2015, West Bengal had a total installed power generation capacity of 9,563.84 MW; of which 6,388.95 MW was under state utilities; 1,981.14 MW was under the private sector and 1,193.75 MW was under central utilities.

Of the total installed power capacity, thermal power contributed 8,183.83 MW, hydropower 1,248.30 MW and 131.71 MW by renewable power. West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, formed in the year 1993, has implemented a large number of programs related to solar energy, wind energy, mini & micro hydro, bio-energy, etc.

Key Initiatives

• Universal electrification of all households with a grid connection by end of 2015-16 is the most important initiative under ongoing "SabarGhareAlo" program. Strong emphasis is being given on improving the overall distribution. New schemes have been launched: "SechBandhu" in rural areas, and Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) in urban areas.
• To further improve rural electrification, under the ‘DeendayalUpadhyaya Gram JyotiYojana', 18 new projects worth US$ 707 million were sanctioned.
• West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, implemented large number of programs related to solar energy, wind energy, mini & micro-hydro, bio-energy, etc.

Solar Power
Large number of initiatives has been taken by state government in the field of renewables especially for solar energy. State government is taking up an ambitious project of setting up a 1200 MW (4 X 300 MW) grid connected SPV power project which is proposed to be linked with an upcoming 1000 MW Turga Pump Storage Project in Purulia district. A state-of the art Solar Dome will be constructed at the Eco-Park, Rajarhat.

Gas - City Gas Distribution (CGD)
Emphasis is also being laid on Gas as a source of power. The potential for City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in Kolkata and its surrounding districts is expected to see significant growth in the future.

GCGSCL, State Government enterprise, received authorization from Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for development of CGD in the Greater Kolkata Geographical Area (GA) in Feb2016. Authorization has been given for setting up CGD network covering Kolkata Municipal Corporation and adjoining areas of Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North 24-Parganas, and South 24-Parganas districts.

The drivers for city gas demand include rising level of urbanization, usage benefits, level of awareness, government's thrust for developing CGD (Incl. Smart Cities), diesel price deregulation, interest in CGD by infrastructure developers.

LNG: H-Energy is to develop a 715 km long re-gasified LNG pipeline from a Floating Storage Re-gasification (FSRU) unit located in the state.

Hydropower
The State is laying emphasis on the development of hydro power generation capacity. WBSEDCL has identified the potential to develop 6,300 MW of hydropower which includes pumped storage potential of 4,800 MW and 1,500 MW of canal falls.

Key Policies

• State Policy on Public Private Partnership (PPP) 2012
• Policy on Co-generation & Generation of Electricity from Renewable Sources of Energy, 2012