Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station of West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited is a

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

with an installed capacity of 1050 MW (5x210 MW) and it is proposed for capacity expansion of another 500 MW.

Location

Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station is located at in Chinpai and Bhurkuna gram panchayat areas of

Birbhum district Birbhum district () is an District#India, administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five Divisions of West Bengal, administrative divisions of West Bengal. The distr ...

in the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

.Sarajit Pramanick, ''Birbhumer Ahankar:Bakreshwar Tapbidyut Kendra'', ''Paschim Banga'', Birbhum special issue, pp. 189–192, (in Bengali), February 2006, Information and Culture Department, Government of West Bengal It is located off the Panagarh–Morgram Highway, on the bank of

Bakreshwar River The Bakreshwar River is a tributary of the Mayurakshi River. It originates in Santhal Parganas division of Jharkhand.Selim, Mohammad, ''Irrigation Projects in Birbhum District'',''Paschim Banga'', February 2006, (in Bengali), Birbhum special iss ...

some distance downstream from the hot springs and temple at

Bakreshwar Bakreshwar is a village in Dubrajpur CD Block in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station of West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited and Bakreswar Thermal Power Pla ...

. Chinpai railway station on the Andal-Sainthia Branch Line and

Bakreswar Thermal Power Plant Township Bakreswar Thermal Power Plant Township is an industrial township in Suri I block in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal Geography Location Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station, along with the industrial t ...

are located nearby.

Capacity

Five units of 210 MW each were commissioned in 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2010. For the first three units

Japan Bank for International Cooperation The , JBIC, is a Japanese public financial institution and export credit agency that was created on October 1, 1999, through the merger of the Japan Export-Import Bank (JEXIM) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF). JBIC became the in ...

gave a loan of 80.8 million

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

or around

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25.25 billion. The first unit was completed in a record time of 37 months and commissioned on 17 July 1999. The yardstick of

Central Electricity Authority The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was a body that managed and operated the electricity supply industry in England and Wales between 1 April 1955 and 31 December 1957. The CEA replaced the earlier British Electricity Authority (BEA) as a r ...

for construction of power units of 200–250 MW is 48 months. Bakreshwar power project stage II involves installation of two units of 210 mW each at an estimated cost of Rs 20 billion.

Neel Nirjan

The reservoir formed by erecting a dam in Bakreshwar River named ''Neel Nirjan'' (meaning blue solitude), for providing water to the thermal power plant, is gaining in popularity as a tourist spot.Sarkar, Joydeep, ''Paryatan Boichitre Birbhum Jela'', ''Paschim Banga'', p. 200

Political imbroglio

Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station was embroiled in political tussle for many years. It was initially proposed to be set up with central assistance but central funding was not forthcoming, in spite of the best efforts of the West Bengal leadership. Once the Left Front formed its government in 1977, Bakreshwar was in deeper political trouble. The delays over providing central funds for the project were cited by the Marxist leaders as another instance of the Centre’s "step-motherly" attitude to West Bengal. For several years, the Bakreshwar project was held up because the Soviet Union was requested to provide financial assistance. The Soviet funds never came even after several years of wait and negotiations. It was finally built by the state government.

References

{{Power Plants of West Bengal Birbhum district Coal-fired power stations in West Bengal 1999 establishments in West Bengal Energy infrastructure completed in 1999

Location

Capacity

Neel Nirjan

Political imbroglio

See also

References