West Bengal has received a proposal for 800 megawatt (MW) solar power project with an estimated investment of ₹3,000 crore from a private investor, a state minister said on Saturday.

Power purchase agreement (PPA), however, will be the key to execute the project, West Bengal’s Power Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said.

“We have received an offer for 800 MW solar power project in a single location from a private investor,” he said at ‘10th Energy Conclave’ organised by CII here.

Chattopadhyay, however, said the investor was seeking to get the PPA for the project before it proceeds further.

Without PPA, bankers are not keen in financing any power project, sources said.

“They already have about 500 acres of land of their possession and have not asked for any assistance in acquiring more land,” the minister said.

Chattopadhyay also said there was “no scope” to link this solar project with the proposed 1000 MW Turga pumped storage hydel programme in Purulia.

The plan to feed the pumps through 1200 MW solar power plant was scrapped due to unavailability of contiguous large tract of land.

Owing to this, the subsidy from the clean energy fund was not received by the state for the project, he said.

Meanwhile, a state government official said the state Urban Development Ministry is planning to introduce policy measures for electric vehicles’ charging stations.

West Bengal government is also planning to introduce 500 electric buses under the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles in India) phase II and tenders have been floated for this.

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