Kolkata: The West Bengal government would allot 350 acres of land to CESC in Uttarpara for its battery storage unit.
This was informed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday, who asked CESC to place a proposal for land at the next cabinet meeting.
CESC has sought 600 acres of land from the West Bengal government. It plans a 5000 MW battery storage unit in the state for an investment of Rs 12,000 crore.
The battery storage unit would be linked with the power plants of CESC, which supply power to Kolkata and adjacent areas. The project would be completed in five years.
Subsequently, Kolkata could soon become the first metro to have at least 50 per cent of its power demand fed by renewable energy sources.
The battery storage unit works as per peak and off-peak demand principles.
In the off-peak hours, the extra power is used to charge the batteries. These are used during peak hours without burning extra fuel.
CESC has a peak demand of around 2500 MW during summer. In winter, it is around 1500 MW. The power utility has four plants in Haldia, Budge Budge, Titagarh and Southern Generating Station.
